Reluctantly leaving his mother behind, Skywalker accompanied Jinn and his group to the Republic's capital of Coruscant and participated in the Battle of Naboo, helping to free Amidala's homeworld from the armies of the Trade Federation. While Jinn was killed during the battle, Jinn's student Obi-Wan Kenobi followed Jinn's wishes and took on Skywalker as his Padawan, and much of the Jedi Council believed that Skywalker was the Chosen One of Jedi prophecy: one who would bring balance to the Force by destroying the Sith Order. Skywalker and Kenobi had a number of adventures during the Padawan's decade of training to become a Jedi, but as the Separatist Crisis threatened to tear the Republic apart in 22 BBY, Skywalker was reunited with Amidala when he was assigned to protect her from assassins. The two grew close during the course of the assignment, though they were caught up in the Battle of Geonosis and the beginning of the Clone Wars between the Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Losing an arm during the fighting, Skywalker received a cybernetic replacement, and he and Amidala were secretly married in the days after the battle despite the Jedi Code's restrictions on attachments.

During the Clone Wars, which raged for the next three years, Skywalker was granted the rank of Jedi Knight and became known to the public as the "Hero with No Fear." Taking on the TogrutaAhsoka Tano as his apprentice, Skywalker fought alongside Kenobi and his fellow Jedi in scores of battles, and his friendship with Supreme ChancellorPalpatine deepened despite the Jedi Order's wariness of Palpatine's rapid acquisition of further powers during the Clone Wars. Throughout the Clone Wars, Skywalker's anger and sense of loss pushed him ever closer to the dark side of the Force, and his visions of Amidala dying in childbirth in 19 BBY made him desperate to find a way to save his wife. Palpatine, who was in fact the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, manipulated Skywalker into becoming his apprentice with the promise of saving Amidala, and Skywalker became the Sith Lord Darth Vader as Palpatine transformed the Republic into the Galactic Empire and decimated the Jedi Order.

Vader and Kenobi clashed on Mustafar after Vader attacked his wife in the belief that she had betrayed him, and Vader was left limbless and ravaged by fire at the end of their battle. Encased in a suit of life-sustaining blackarmor and believing his wife to be dead, Vader embraced his role as the Emperor's right hand and enforcer, hunting down Jedi survivors and enforcing the will of the Empire for years to come. The Sith Lord trained a number of secret apprentices and Dark Jedi, though his plans to overthrow his master had not advanced far when the Galactic Civil War erupted between the Empire and the Alliance to Restore the Republic in 2 BBY. In 0 BBY, the Death Star—the Empire's greatest superweapon—was destroyed by a young Rebel pilot despite Vader's efforts, and Vader became obsessed with discovering the pilot's identity, only to learn that it was Luke Skywalker: his own son, born before Amidala's death.

Vader continued to pursue both Skywalker and the Alliance over the next three years, finally luring his son into a trap on the mining colony of Cloud City in 3 ABY where the two dueled. Vader revealed his identity to Skywalker, though his son refused to join him and escaped. When Darth Sidious learned of Skywalker's existence, he set in motion his own plans to recruit Skywalker and thereby replace Vader, but Skywalker surrendered himself to Imperial forces on the forest moon of Endor in 4 ABY in hopes of redeeming his father and turning him back to the light side. In a final duel on the second Death Star as the Battle of Endor raged around them, Skywalker and Vader fought each other, and Vader refused his son's attempts to redeem him, learning that Skywalker had a twin sister named Leia in the process. Skywalker defeated his father but refused to kill him, and when Sidious attempted to kill the young man, Vader—moved by his son's love—abandoned the dark side and sacrificed himself to destroy the Emperor, fulfilling the prophecy of the Chosen One. Mortally wounded, Anakin made peace with his son and became one with the Force, though his reputation, his legacy, and his family endured for decades afterwards.

Around 42 BBY, the Sith Lord Darth Plagueis and his Sith apprenticeDarth Sidious were able to shift the Force and tip it towards the dark side after months of intense meditation. Plagueis sought to manipulate the midi-chlorians—microscopic lifeforms which lived symbiotically within all living things and allowed those with sufficient numbers of midi-chlorians to touch the Force—and use them to gain power over life and death. He was able to resurrect the BithDarth Venamis (whom he had been using as a test subject for years) using only the power of the Force. Using his newfound power to heal his own body, Plagueis decided to take his powers further and reached out to the midi-chlorians across the galaxy in order to gain dominance over them, but the Force resisted his efforts and refused. In response, the midi-chlorians acted of their own accord and conceived a child within the HumanslaveShmi Skywalker.[25]

Early life

Life as a slave

"There was no father. I carried him, I gave birth, I raised him. I can't explain what happened."

The Human male Anakin Skywalker was born to Shmi Skywalker in 42 BBY (7:4 BrS).[2] In 38 BBY, when he was around three years old, Anakin and Shmi were sold to the HuttGardula Besadii on the desert planet of Tatooine, and the two were brought to the planet by a freighter[26]—though they were not permitted to know their destination, and the ship's single refresher backed up during the flight, making the crowded ship's passengers extremely uncomfortable. During the flight, Anakin had premonitions of podracing, and he saw a vision of himself as an older man, racing across the flats of Tatooine. He was awoken from his dream by his mother, who carried him out of the ship when they landed, and they were lined up before Gardulla and her aides.[27]

However, when a shot rang out in a nearby alleyway, Skywalker did not duck for cover like the others in the area and instead watched as an Arcona slave rushed through the area to escape his pursuers. The Arcona's slave transmitter exploded moments later, killing the slave and showing Skywalker what would happen should he ever try to escape. Shortly afterward, Skywalker was implanted with his own transmitter. In the city of Mos Espa, the Skywalkers were forced to share quarters with six other slaves while they were owned by Gardulla,[28] but the fact that he was coupled with his mother allowed Skywalker to endure slavery with relative good humor.[29] Though Anakin was not altogether fond of Tatooine, he set about learning as much about the desert world as possible. He listened to traveling spacers and Gardulla's attendants, learning about the history and function of the planet in the galaxy. He heard of the Tusken Raiders, apparently bloodthirsty savages that roamed the wastelands, Jawas, krayt dragons, but the element that interested the boy the most was Podracing, descriptions of which matched his premonition.[27] He tired quickly of Tatooine, however, and one day hoped to visit Coruscant, the galacticcapital.[30]

While he was a slave of Gardulla, he became friends with fellow slaves Kitster Chanchani Banai and Pala Kwi'teksa, a Human and Twi'lek. Though the three were eventually sold to other masters, they remained friends, as they all lived in Mos Espa.[31] Several months after his arrival on Tatooine,, while repairing a vaporator outside Gardulla's residence, Anakin decided to take the initiative, and modify the device. His handiwork was observed by Watto, a Toydarianjunk dealer who frequently gambled with Gardulla on podraces. Impressed, the Toydarian gambled for custody of the Skywalkers and won, becoming the pair's owners two days later.[27] Skywalker began working at Watto's Shop as a mechanic,[9] and Watto reluctantly allowed the two to move into a small hovel on Slave Quarters Row in the city of Mos Espa, though he intended to quarter the rest of the slaves he intended to purchase with the Skywalkers when he could afford to buy more.[28]

At an early age, Skywalker exhibited signs of Force-sensitivity; he could sense things before they happened, occasionally sensed the emotions of others, and had exceptional piloting skills which Watto put to use when he made the child race his podracer—the first Human to survive and excel at the sport. Only Shmi knew of her son's abilities, and by the age of nine, Anakin was strong, quick, an expert driver, and an expert at building things.[32] A child prodigy,[33] Anakin excelled at mathematics and engineering.[34] Skywalker did not mind working for Watto as a mechanic, as he enjoyed building and repairing machinery and droids, and his room was filled with a workbench, tools, and various projects in different stages of completion.[31] Skywalker always had something to do at Watto's junkshop; with his mechanical aptitude, he was often called upon to fix the unfixable. Watto kept the Skywalkers in line by threatening to let other slaves share their hovel, should they disobey him. Over the years, Skywalker became familiar with the Mos Espa locals, picked up alien languages, and would often familiarize himself with the controls of starships, by "practicing" with derelict cockpits found in the junk yard.[27]

Even at a young age, Skywalker had a reputation for being able to repair or build anything. Around 34 BBY, Skywalker began to build both a podracer from the pieces he could salvage from the junkyards, restoring a junked podracer cockpit and a pair of Radon-Ulzer620C racing engines. Knowing Watto would try to take it if it was valuable, Skywalker purposely kept the podracer in a state of seeming disrepair underneath a tarp. Watto gave Shmi an aeromagnifier that she used to clean computer memory devices, allowing the Skywalkers to have a modest income, but Anakin refused to give up on his dreams of freedom, making plans to create a scanner that could locate the transmitter in his body.[27]

Skywalker and Amee

Around 34 BBY, when Skywalker was seven, Watto traveled to Anchorhead in order to bid on parts from a recent crash, leaving the boy with a long list of chores to do. However, Skywalker was able to program the droids around the shop to finish the chores by midday, allowing him to take his pack that his mother had filled with meat pies and fruit and meet with his friend Amee for a picnic. In a small canyon near the city that had a strange tree with flickering leaves, the two ate Shmi's meat pies and turnovers made by Amee's mother Hala, but when they returned to Mos Espa, they found the city almost empty. From their neighbors, the two children learned that the pirateKrayn had conducted a slave raid, capturing a number of slaves and overriding their transmitters with their own. Terrified for his mother's safety, Anakin raced home but was relieved to find Shmi safe and sound at their house—unlike Amee's mother Hala. When the boy noticed Amee and Hala's master, Yor Millto, dismissing the abduction of Hala as a "nuisance," Skywalker resolved to remember every moment of that day, save the look of terror on his own mother's face, in order to fuel his ongoing struggle as a slave, and his eventual quest to free slaves.[35]

Around 33 BBY, Skywalker met a retired pilot who told him about the moons of Iego and the angels that supposedly lived there. That year, Skywalker was searching through Watto's junkyard when he came across an ancient battle droid. Curious, the boy dragged it behind Watto's shop and then once Watto was gone hooked it up a power source. The droid was too rusted to move, but its holoprojecter was able to display a damaged and chaotic recording of a battle that involved the Sith. Disturbed by the recording, Skywalker headed home later that day and encountered the pilot, who panicked and thought that the boy was saying the Sith had returned when Skywalker questioned him about the Sith. The pilot explained the history of the Sith Order and the New Sith Wars, a thousand-year conflict between the Sith and the Jedi, though the pilot also noted the rumors that some Sith had survived their defeat in the conflict.[30]

The Ghostling children

"Mom. What if you want to do something good, but it's hard? Or what if you want to help someone, but you're afraid?""Helping others isn't always easy, is it? If people paid us to be good, the galaxy would be overflowing with kindness. But most of the time there isn't much reward, and sometimes it even costs us dearly to do good things.""Yeah. What if it costs so much that it hurts?""I think we should do it anyway. Make it a habit, like eating or breathing. Once you do, you'll hardly even notice the cost."

Skywalker continued to race for Watto, frequently encountering the Dug racer Sebulba and losing to him, as the Dug was prone to cheating. One afternoon in 32 BBY, Skywalker was working in Watto's shop when Banai arrived and told his friend about the arrival of Sebulba and another racer named Gasgano in the spaceport, and Banai was able to convince Watto to let Skywalker investigate by telling the Toydarian about a mysterious crate that Sebulba had brought on his freighter. The two joined the growing crowd at Mos Espa's spaceport to watch the two racers' freighters unload. Studying Gasgano's podracer, Skywalker could instinctively sense that there was nothing new or important about the changes Gasgano had made, but Sebulba's podracer drew his attention, and he soon noticed the new Kuat 40-Z stabilizers that had been installed.[31]

Anakin and his mother as slaves in Watto's shop.

However, Skywalker's friend Kwi'teksa was uninterested in his discovery, and the other children nearby gathered to listen as she told them how she had been sold to the pirateLordTantos so that Tantos could train her as an assassin. Angry and saddened, Skywalker questioned Kwi'teksa as to Tantos's location so that he could go study Tantos and try and figure out a way to help his friend, but he suddenly realized that he had failed to investigate the crate when it was moved to a secure warehouse nearby. Kwi'teksa and the other children then served as a distraction to lure away the Gamorrean guards at the warehouse door, allowing Skywalker and Banai to slip inside and look at the crate, which they soon realized was an energy cage that was holding captured children. One of the children, PrincessArawynne, told the two boys that they were Ghostlings from the planet Datar and begged for their help, but Skywalker was unwilling to do so until she stated that the Ghostlings had not yet been implanted with transmitters.[31]

However, the Dug Khiss entered the warehouse at that point and opened fire on the two boys, who were wearing hooded cloaks and whom he thought were trying to free the slaves. Banai and Skywalker fled into the darkness of the warehouse and escaped via another entrance, and the two returned to Watto and told him of their findings about Sebulba's pod—though Skywalker did not explain in detail about the Ghostlings. Dismissing Banai, Watto then ordered Skywalker to head out into the Jundland Wastes region, where he was to barter with a tribe of Jawas—scavengers that were one of Tatooine's two native species. Taking his sandskimmer out into the Jundland Wastes, Skywalker reached the towering rock known as the Market after a few hours, where hundreds of the sandcrawlers that the Jawas used to traverse Tatooine's deserts were parked in the shadow of the monolith.[31]

Searching through the endless array of junk that the Jawas had laid out on the sand, Skywalker found the items he needed within an hour and negotiated a good price, though he decided to wait until nightfall before heading back to Mos Espa. In order to preserve his money and buy a present for Kwi'teksa before she left Tatooine, Skywalker settled for a hubba gourd to satisfy his hunger and thirst, and then he began exploring the junkyard in order to find a present. However, he was drawn to a Jawa who was offered a large Radon-Ulzer podracer engine, one that Skywalker believe he could use to repair his podracer, but the Jawa insisted on selling it for cash. When Skywalker was heading back to his sandskimmer, he noticed an old Jawa who was offering a pile of random items, and his attention was drawn to an ancient-looking cube that was small enough to fit in his hand.[31]

Anakin and his mother Shmi

Studying the device, Skywalker noticed a number of pictures on the cube's sides, including two Jedi Knights battling each other, a star map, and a lamp with a knife blade through it—a symbol of forbidden knowledge. Unnerved by the darkness that he could sense in the cube, Skywalker was about to set it down when the Jawa offered to sell it for three wupiupi, which was the exact amount that Skywalker had in his pocket. Despite his reservations, the boy purchased the cube and headed back to Mos Espa, though he was unable to open it through any means. He was surprised to find his mother still awake and working on a maintenance droid when he arrived, and Shmi explained that she was helping her sick friend Matta finish her quota of repairs so that she would not be sold by her master Dengula. Anakin stayed up with his mother to finish the droid, though he continued to think about the Ghostling children and what he could do to help both them and Kw'teksa as the night went on and as he went to sleep.[31]

The following day, Banai and the Bothan child Dorn, both of whom were slaves of Gardulla, came to him with Pala and told him how they had hacked into Gardulla's computer network to learn that the Hutt intended to use the Ghostlings as lawn ornaments in her underground pleasure garden. Disgusted by Gardulla's disregard for how the Ghostlings would die in less than a year in those conditions, Skywalker agreed to help his friends break the Ghostlings out of Gardulla's dungeons. Donning Jawa robes and disguises, the three approached Gardulla's fortress on their sandskimmers, taking advantage of the dusk shadows to hide them, and Kitster led them to a narrow chasm that allowed them to reach the walls of the fortress unseen. An enormous cliffborer worm attacked them as they passed through the chasm, though the three escaped unharmed and reached the fortress, which they infiltrated through a ventilation grate in the outer wall.[31]

However, their plans went awry when Kitster was forced to stay with Gardulla the Hutt in the fortress's pool room, forcing Skywalker and the others to find their own way to the dungeons, and Dorn went ahead to scout around while Skywalker and Kiw'teksa stayed behind. When Kitster avoided being eaten by Gardulla, the fortress was thrown into chaos, and Skywalker and Kiw'teksa fled deeper into the dungeons when a Gamorrean guard pursued them—but Skywalker was unaware that his current route was taking them straight to the security control room. Skywalker managed to prevent the security chief from setting off the alarm by using his ion blaster, and Kiw'teksa closed the door just before the chief shot at him, causing the blaster bolt to richochet and strike the man.[31]

The four children rendezvoused at the slave infirmary, but when Dorn opened the infirmary, they were confronted by an enormous Abyssin whom Skywalker was able to convince to leave, as he claimed that they were replacement guards for the Ghostlings. However, the four accidentally locked themselves in the infirmary, and Arawynne came up with a plan to use a box of bomb transmitters to blow open the door. Taking the rest of the transmitters, Skywalker and the others led the Ghostlings through the fortress to the open hangar, but the young slaves soon realized that they needed to hide the children and come back for them later, so Banai hid the Ghostlings in Gardulla's pleasure garden. The four slaves then snuck out of the fortess alone, with Skywalker using the transmitters to destroy the passage and a seeker droid that was pursuing them with a group of battle droids, and they then headed back to Mos Espa and their homes.[31]

Skywalker and his friends

The next day, Watto berated Skywalker for his lethargy, and the boy showed his owner the box he had bought at the Jawa market the previous day. Watto allowed Skywalker to go home and take a nap, but on his way, he encountered Banai, Dorn, and Kiw'teksa, who told him that Gardulla's security had a sample of Kiw'teksa's skin and would soon identify her as one of the perpetrators of the break-in. The old woman Jira brought the four of them into her apartment and began to scold them for trying to free the slaves, but told them that she knew someone who might take the Ghostlings off-world for a high price. Skywalker then offered to make a signal jammer so that Kiw'teksa could evade capture, and he split up with his friends to head back to Watto's in order to make the jammer. As he was heading back to his friend in the market, Skywalker had a strange sense that he was being followed, and Dorn confirmed his suspicions by pulling him aside and pointing out a Sakiyan tracker with a seeker droid who was searching for him.[36]

Donning a Jawa robe, Skywalker hid in a crowd of Jawas while Dorn distracted the hunter Djas Puhr and his partner, Sebulba, and Kiw'teksa sent him toward the podrace hangar before she disabled the seeker droid with a bucket of ganno juice that blocked its olfactory sensors. Grabbing his goggles from Watto's podracer, he heeded Banai's advice and stole Sebulba's podracer as a getaway vehicle, dodging the seeker droid's stun darts and destroying it by catching it between the podracer's energy binders. The reinforced podracer was able to smash straight through the partially-open hangar doors, catching the Dug Khiss on one of the stabilizer fins as Skywalker struggled to slow down. To prevent the Dug from reaching him and Banai in the cockpit, Skywalker toggled a random lever that caused the engine to vent fire, sending the Dug flying.[36]

However, Sebulba began to pursue the two in Brant Rumble's podracer, and when Sebulba prepared to ram the podracer and kill the boys, Skywalker gave Banai the signal jammer and let him leap off the vehicle before he tried to open the throttles and escape. When they responded slowly, Skywalker realized that the reinforced engines Sebulba used as battering rams meant that he could not rely on speed alone, so a smaller and faster vehicle would be able to beat Sebulba. Evading Sebulba's blaster shots, Skywalker realized that the Dug was trying to protect his own podracer, and he tossed Sebulba's own goggles and hydrospanner towards Brant Rumble's podracer—where they were promptly sucked into the engine and caused massive damage.[36]

In the chaos, Skywalker escaped and returned to Jira's apartment that evening, where Banai, Dorn, and Jira were waiting for him. Banai explained that he had hidden Kiw'teksa with the Ghostling children, and the three slaves began to pool their money. However, when Anakin returned home, Shmi confronted him about Kiw'teksa, and though she did not say it outright, Shmi knew that Anakin had been one of the children who had broken into the fortress. That night, Skywalker had a dream of an evil voice telling him to open the cube, and when he awoke in the middle of the night, he was sure that the voice had been real—and he realized that the cube was giving off a small amount of heat, just as living creatures did.[36]

The next day, Jira confirmed that the smugglers would arrive the following sunset to pick up the Ghostlings and Kiw'teksa. However, that night, Dorn contacted him via comlink and reported that his master Jabba had ordered him to track down Kiw'teksa. Dismayed, Skywalker told Dorn to meet him at noon so that he could give the Bothan a signal jammer, and he fell asleep after remembering that he had just had a dream of a man with intense eyes, a lightsaber, and a tan poncho who had come to take him away from Tatooine. The next morning, Skywalker headed out to give Dorn his jammer, but he intercepted Sebulba when he noticed the Dug and his crew attempting to locate the Bothan. After giving Dorn the jammer, Skywalker incited a bar fight in the nearby Racer's Edge Cantina when Sebulba and the hunters tried to follow Dorn into the building.[37]

However, when Banai, Skywalker, and Dorn headed out to Gardulla's fortress in disguises, they were followed by Djas Puhr, Sebulba, and other hunters. The pursuers attacked the children in the pleasure garden, separating them, and Skywalker evaded the AbyssinGondry by trapping him in quickclay from the planet Circarpous V before Sebulba began to pursue him. Coming across a Myrkr SS-23 sewage cannon, Skywalker fled into the bushes—only to come across an unconscious Dorn while trying to stay ahead of Puhr. When Dorn did not waken, Skywalker encountered a green Wistie, a small radiant creature who led him to the Ghostlings and Kiw'teksa just as Djas Puhr captured them. At the Wistie's urging, Skywalker fled the garden and headed home, leaving the Ghostlings and his three friends in Puhr and Sebulba's hands.[37]

Jira, the woman who helped Skywalker's friends escape.

When he reached Mos Espa, Skywalker headed straight for Jira and told her what had happened, just as a slave execution was announced for that evening. Jira suggested that Skywalker himself go with the smugglers, and she regretfully explained that she had been unable to gather all of the money necessary for the children and the Ghostlings to escape. However, the boy refused and told Jira to be ready at sunset before he departed, determined to rescue his friends. Selling some of the valuable junk from his room, Skywalker purchased glowrods, sandmasks, and a hand-held beamdrill, and he headed to the Mos Espa Grand Arena where his friends were being held. Entering a large drain in the unguarded holding pens, Skywalker soon located his friends and freed them, ushering them into the sand-drainage system through the drains in their cell just as a guard sounded the alarm.[38]

As they fled through the drainpipes, Skywalker gave the others sandmasks while Dorn led the way with a glowrod and Skywalker followed at the rear of the group with another. The group made their way towards the Podrace hangar, fighting off capture droids with Skywalker's ion blaster, but their path was blocked when sand began to pour into the tunnels and sent the children rushing along the pipes in a torrent of sand. Fighting off a rock wart that tried to steal his glowrod, Skywalker finally came to a stop with the others in a large catch basin, and Skywalker set off to find a way out through the pipes. Using his beamdrill to ward off womp rats and to mark his path, Skywalker was nearly detected by two Morseerian pirates who heard him through the grates, but he managed to steal their treasure from their storeroom after they departed the chamber, giving him enough money to buy passage for the Ghostlings and his friends.[38]

Searching through the pipes and the various grates, Skywalker was able to convince a slave man to let the Ghostlings and his friends out of the drainpipes by removing the grate in his house, but Skywalker was dismayed to learn that Dorn and an unconscious Ghostling named Coniel had been separated from the rest by slave hunters and would meet them at Bantha Rock, the place where the smugglers were supposed to meet the group. Using Watto's landspeeder, Skywalker ferried the Ghostlings and his friends out of the city, away from the slave hunters and to Bantha Rock, where Jira was waiting for them. The smuggler, whom Kitster recognized as his father Rakir Banai, accepted Skywalker's payment and took the children aboard, though Skywalker refused to go with them and leave his mother behind.[38]

However, when Dorn and Coniel arrived, Rakir informed the group that his ship's life-support systems could not take that many people—one of them would have to stay behind. A dismayed Kitster decided to let the others go in his place, as he was not wanted by Gardulla and her thugs, and Skywalker, Kitster, and Jira watched from a distant plateau as the ship lifted off just as Sebulba and the other hunters arrived. Jira gave the two boys the rest of the money, and Skywalker decided to save his money in order to one day buy his freedom. When he reached home, Skywalker found his mother up late working again, and she refused Anakin's offer of help and instead ordered him to clean himself up. Two days later, Skywalker raced Watto's pod yet again, but Sebulba used his exhaust vents to send the boy flying out of control as they went over Metta Drop, wrecking Watto's racer once again.[38]

Podracing and looking to the stars

"You want to fly the big ships, I think maybe you will. Yep, Anakin Skywalker, I do think maybe one day you will."

One day when Anakin was working, Watto kicked W. Wald and another child out of his shop before he left to meet with Jabba the Hutt, though Anakin let the two back in to the shop when he was gone. The others began to explore the shop and Wald soon came across what he believed to be a lightsaber, the weapon of the Jedi Knights, but they were interrupted by a passerby who told them that the Dug Sebulba's new podracer had arrived. While Sebulba was not looking, Skywalker and his friends opened up the podracer's engines, and Skywalker was able to identify a vertigo flux override in the engine before an overeager Wald dropped the lightsaber in the open hatch. Skywalker was barely able to pull the lightsaber free before an angry Sebulba reached them, though Skywalker was unaware that the ancient weapon had damaged the inner workings of the podracer. The three of them headed back to Watto's shop, but when the owner returned and found them, he kicked Wald and the other boy out. However, as a result of Skywalker's unintentional sabotage, Sebulba crashed on his next race, ensuring that Watto did not lose his shop to the Hutt Jabba Desilijic Tiure in their betting on the race.[39]

One day, while chatting in the junk yard with Banai, Skywalker came across a broken 3PO-series protocol droid chassis. Though he surmised that the droid was very old, he was confident that he could restore the droid. Though not totally sure as to what purpose it would serve, Skywalker smuggled it back to his hovel piece by piece, making sure not to alert Watto. Shmi, apprehensive, explained that it was a protocol droid, and not very useful in their line of work. Anakin protested, claiming that the droid would be able to help with chores and converse with those using alien languages. Shmi relented, but explained to Anakin that the droid was his responsibility alone. Skywalker felt that the droid was a sort of kindred spirit, speculating that he had perhaps tried to escape from his masters, but had been demolished in the process. He named the droid C-3PO, the "three" due to the fact that Skywalker considered him a third member of the Skywalker family.[27]

A few days later, Skywalker dreamed that he won a podrace and was greeted in the winner's circle by a wise man and an angel, but his mother's voice roused him from sleep, and he told her of the dream over breakfast. Skywalker also told Banai of the dream on his way to Watto's shop, where Watto sent Skywalker out to Mochot Steep to acquire the thrusters from the pod of a famous racer named Regga the Hammerhead. Searching through the junk in Watto's shop to find things to trade, Skywalker found a vaporator cylinder and decided to keep it after he had a strange feeling that it would be useful. After picking up C-3PO to use an interpreter, Skywalker headed out to Mochot Steep to trade with the Jawas who had scavenged the thrusters. However, the Jawas wanted money or his water pouches, so Skywalker gave them the vaporator cylinder and offered to repair it in exchange for the thrusters when he realized the Jawas' vaporator was broken.[40]

The grateful Jawas gave Skywalker the remains of the pod, and Skywalker decided to keep the intact engine for his secret podracer. When he returned to Watto's shop that evening, Watto ordered the boy to install the thrusters the next morning, as he would fly Watto's podracer in the next race. The day of the race, Sebulba warned Skywalker of a "surprise" he was planning for the Human in Bimmira Canyon, but Skywalker reached the canyon before Sebulba did during the race. Sebulba and the racer Rimkar managed to pass Skywalker, but Sebulba used his afterburners to destroy Rimkar's pod in Metta Canyon, also causing Skywalker to lose control and crash.[40] An angry Watto demanded that Skywalker repair the pod that night, though Banai and Wald convinced him to go out for ruby bliels, and the three were discussing starfighters when the retired pilot who had told Skywalker about Iego intervened to compliment Skywalker's racing skills.[32]

Skywalker in Watto's junkyard

Buying the boys more ruby bliels, the pilot told them of his exploits in the Republic Starfighter Corps, speaking of other planets and Jedi Knights. The three children spent so much time listening to the man's stories that Skywalker arrived home late for dinner, earning a reprimand from his mother. Shmi once again expressed her opposition to his racing, but Anakin reminded her that Watto would make him race. A little over a week later[32]—by which time Skywalker had C-3PO's intelligence and communication processors repaired—an angry Watto sent the boy out to Mochot Steep to trade with the Jawas.[32]

Picking up C-3PO from his house in order to use as an interpreter, Skywalker took Watto's speeder out to Mochot Steep, where he was able to barter for several mechanic droids, several multipurpose droids, and a damaged hyperdrive converter. Skywalker then headed back towards Mos Espa with the droids in tow, heading towards the Xelric Draw canyon that split the Mospic High Range on the Dune Sea's edge, but Skywalker stopped when he encountered an injured Tusken Raider—a hostile species native to Tatooine. The Tusken's leg was trapped beneath a boulder, and the Tusken and the slave stared at each other for several minutes before Skywalker decided to use the droids to free the Tusken. By the time they succeeded, night was falling, so the boy decided to stay the night there and had the droids set up a glow unit. C-3PO attempted to communicate with the Tusken when he was awake, but the Tusken remained hostile and wary of Skywalker's intentions. The next morning, Skywalker awoke to find that there were Tusken Raiders surrounding him and the droids, but they left in peace after reclaiming their injured kin.[32]

The next day, Skywalker was working in Watto's junkyard, attempting to repair machinery, when a womp rat triggered one of Watto's snares in the junkyard and caused Skywalker to start, hitting his head on the machinery. His friend Amee arrived in time to witness this, and after realizing that the womp rat was very young, Skywalker freed the creature and began to search for parts for his podracer. The pair witnessed a herd of banthas stampeding past the city, leading Skywalker to realize there was a sandstorm approaching. Just as Skywalker was about to return to Watto's shop, the womp rat he had freed earlier appeared again on top of what the boy realized was an energy binder after he shooed the creature away.[41]

Taking the part for his racer, Skywalker raced back to Watto's shop, where Watto ordered him to go to the market and trade with another group of Jawas whom Watto believed had salvaged Skywalker's crashed podracer. Handing his mother the energy binder, Skywalker headed out to the market, where his friends Wald and Banai snuck up on him and convinced him to join them for ruby bliels at Maggy the Gorgon'scantina. Picking up fruits from Jira at his mother's request, Skywalker promised Jira that he would help fix her cooling unit, but the trio encountered Sebulba just outside the cantina. Fortunately for Skywalker, their fight was broken up by the arrival of the retired Republic pilot, whose presence deterred Sebulba from making any further trouble.[41] Before he left, Skywalker asked the pilot if he would tell him about the angels from Iego again the next time they visited, since the cantina was currently embroiled in a bar fight.[42] At the market, Skywalker and his friends arrived just in time to see the parts Watto wanted sold to a pit droid, and Skywalker returned to the shop. and was ordered to clean the junk bins because of his failure.[41]

Discovery

"You should be proud of your son. He gives without any thought of reward.""He knows nothing of greed. Only of dreams. He has…""Special powers.""Yes."

While exploring the junkyard a few days later, Skywalker came across the womp rat from earlier, which led him to an intact cooling unit for Jira. Looking up in the sky, Skywalker witnessed a starship flying by overhead, and he sank into daydreams of Jedi and angels. However, he was roused by Watto's shouting for him to come inside, and Skywalker entered the shop to find a tall man, a young woman, a Gungan, and an astromech droid conversing with Watto. At Watto's instructions, Skywalker manned the shop while Watto took the man, Qui-Gon Jinn, into the junkyard. Skywalker found himself unable to look away from the young woman, viewing her as supremely beautiful, and he hoisted himself onto the counter before asking her if she was an angel from the moons of Iego. The woman introduced herself as Padmé Naberrie, just as the Gungan—Jar Jar Binks—activated a DUM-series pit droid that began to wreak havoc in the shop. As Naberrie and Skywalker laughed, he told Binks to hit the droid on the nose, and after peace was restored to the shop, Skywalker declared that he would one day marry her.[9]

Just then, Watto and Jinn returned to the shop, and Jinn informed his companions that they were leaving. Fortunately for Skywalker, Watto allowed him to leave after he cleaned up the mess that Binks had made. As he headed home, Skywalker came across Binks, who was being attacked by Sebulba after the clumsy Gungan had disrupted the racer's meal. Breaking up the fight, Skywalker greeted Naberrie and the rest of her group when they arrived to see what was happening, and he convinced the group to follow him to Jira's fruit stand nearby, where he told the old woman about the new cooling unit he had found and then purchased four pallies. When Skywalker dropped one of his coins and Jinn reached to pick it up, the boy was astonished to see a lightsaber on the man's waist when his poncho opened slightly. Masking his surprise, Skywalker realized he only had enough for three fruits, and he forewent a pallie so the others could have one. When Jira warned the group that a sandstorm was coming, Skywalker insisted that the unprepared group come with him to his house.[32]

When they reached his house, he introduced the group to his mother and explained about the sandstorm before pulling Naberrie into his room to show her his project. Naberrie was genuinely impressed by Skywalker's work on C-3PO, prompting him to turn the droid on, and he also told her about the podracer he was constructing. The two spent the rest of the day examining Skywalker's various projects as the sandstorm continued to rage, and during dinner he began to explain life as a slave, though a brief argument between Naberrie and Shmi about slavery led Anakin to the subject of podracing. Mustering his courage, Skywalker asked Jinn about his lightsaber, and he refused to believe the Jedi's statement that he was not there to free the slaves. As the conversation turned to the group's damaged Nubian starship, Skywalker volunteered to race in the Boonta Eve Classic podrace so that Jinn could get the prize money. When his mother objected, Anakin reminded Shmi of her belief that people needed to help one another, convincing her to allow Anakin to race for Jinn.[32]

Jinn wagers his ship as Skywalker looks on.

The next morning, Jinn and the others accompanied Skywalker to Watto's shop, and the boy began to tell Watto about Jinn's proposal when Naberrie stopped Jinn outside for a brief conversation. To appease Watto, Jinn put forth his ship as the entry fee, and convinced the Toydarian to front the cost of Skywalker's entry into the race in exchange for splitting the winnings fifty-fifty. Watto accepted the deal, and Skywalker was dismissed immediately with instructions to check out Jinn's podracer. Skywalker arrived home before Jinn and the others did, and he led the group to the bone yards behind the slave quarters to where his podracer was concealed under a tarp. With the others' help, Skywalker activated the antigrav lifts and brought the podracer out back behind his house, and there he began preparing the vehicle for the race. As Skywalker worked, his friends Banai, Seek, Amee, and Wald arrived, but Wald, Amee, and Seek were skeptical of Skywalker's chances and left to go play elsewhere. Despite Skywalker's warnings, Binks became caught between the podracer's energy binders, causing his face to go numb. Jinn then helped the boy into the cockpit, where he used a power pack that Jinn had lifted from Watto's shop to start the podracer, and the group was heartened to witness the engines activating and running perfectly.[9]

That afternoon, Skywalker sustained a cut on his arm, though he did not notice it until later that night when Jinn tended to it and took a sample of his blood. Before Skywalker could get Jinn to tell him what he was doing with his blood, his mother called him inside their house for bedtime. That night, Skywalker had a strange dream of darkness, war, and armies—and Naberrie was leading an army into battle. When he awoke, he told Naberrie about the dream, though he soon forgot about the dream in the excitement of the pre-race preparations. With the two eopies Banai brought to help, Naberrie, Banai, Shmi, Anakin, R2-D2, and C-3PO hauled the podracer to the arena hangars, where Jinn had gone to meet with Watto. The Toydarian angrily left the hangar just as they arrived, confusing Skywalker with a comment about Jinn and betting, but Banai unintentionally revealed to Naberrie and the others that Skywalker had never actually finished a race, causing Naberrie to lose hope in the boy's chances.[32]

Racing to freedom

A little while later, the racers and their pods entered the arena and lined up for the race, and Shmi stopped her son to ask him to be safe before he headed out to his racer. Naberrie reminded him that their hopes were riding on him, furthering his determination to win the race, and not even Sebulba's threats rattled Skywalker as Jinn helped him into the podracer cockpit. But to Skywalker's dismay, when the starting light turned green, the pod's engines stalled immediately, leaving him stuck at the staring line with only Ben Quadinaros and his stalled racer as the rest of the competitors flew off. Realizing that he had fed the engines too much fuel, he rapidly flipped switches and adjusted settings to reset the engines and succeeded in starting the engines, flying out of the arena and chasing after the others.[32]

He soon caught up to the other racers, passing two before they even noticed him, and he prepared to pass the TroikenGasgano as they approached Arch Canyon. Gasgano blocked his first few attempts, but Skywalker overtook him as they dropped over a short mesa and proceeded to slip into Arch Canyon quickly and without any trouble. As he left the canyon, Skywalker witnessed Sebulba cause the racer Mawhonic to crash into a rock formation when Mawhonic tried to claim the lead, and Sebulba took out Xelbree by venting fire from one of his exhaust vents when he tried to pass the Dug. Skywalker was in eighth place as they shot through the arena, completing the first lap of three, but he soon became seventh as Ody Mandrell's podracer was damaged in the pits by a clumsy pit droid.[32]

As they started the second lap, Skywalker passed Aldar Beedo and Clegg Holdfast just before Arch Canyon, unknowingly drawing on the Force to strengthen his perceptions and virtually become one with his podracer. When the racers exited Arch Canyon, they were surprised to encounter a group of Tusken Raiders who began to potshot the racers from the nearby cliffs of Tusken Turn, taking out Teemto Pagalies's podracer. Passing Elan Mak and Habba Kee, Skywalker began to creep up on Mars Guo and Sebulba, but Sebulba damaged Guo's engine and caused him to slam into Skywalker's—ripping one of his engines lines free. It took a great deal of maneuvering to keep the podracer stable as Skywalker used a magnetic retriever to catch the engine line that was now loose and reattach it, causing him to fall behind Mak, Kee, and Obitoki. Recovering, Skywalker shot after the four leaders and passed Elan Mak again, only to see Obitoki put of commission the same way he did Xelbree.[32]

Skywalker pulls ahead of Sebulba.

Obitoki's damaged racer collided with Habba Kee's and caused both to explode, but Skywalker used the Force to guide himself through the smoke and debris cloud, evading the dangerous wreckage and shooting off after Sebulba. He caught up with the Dug just as they shot through the arena and began the third and final lap, but Sebulba tried to eliminate Skywalker as he done to Obitoki and Xelbree just as they left Arch Canyon. Swerving upward and out of reach, Skywalker was forced onto a stone ramp covered in warning signs, sending his podracer skyward. To recover, he accelerated forward and came down just in front of Sebulba right before they entered a series of caves that led to Tusken Turn. He maintained the lead until they finally reached open plains again, where Sebulba tried to capture the lead as one of Skywalker's horizontal stablizers on his engines began to shudder violently. Experiencing a vision of Sebulba sabotaging the stablizer before the race, Skywalker jettisoned the stablizer but was forced to lose ground to Sebulba.[32]

As they approached the arena, Sebulba blocked every attempt of Skywalker's to pass, and he finally swerved his larger racer into Skywalker's in anger at the boy's repeated attempts—only for the two racers's steering rods to be caught together. When Skywalker's rod finally snapped completely, his podracer began to shudder violently but broke free of Sebulba's racer, the engines of which shot forward and went flying out of control, slamming into rock and sand and exploding. As Sebulba's pod skidded to a halt, Skywalker shot toward the arena and across the finish line, emerging victorious as the youngest winner of the Boonta Eve Classic ever.[32]

As he came to a halt, the crowd swarmed Skywalker's racer, and Banai was the first to his pod and began hugging his friend tightly. The crowd hoisted Skywalker onto their shoulders in celebration, chanting his name, and it was not until almost an hour later that the arena emptied of people and Skywalker could meet up with his family and friends. As Jinn approached, Anakin became embarrassed at Naberrie and his mother's constant hugs and kisses, but Jinn soon departed with Binks and Naberrie to take their parts back to the ship. Anakin, Shmi, and C-3PO walked home together, and he stored C-3PO in his room and headed out to Mos Espa Way—only to be confronted by a Rodian child who accused Skywalker of cheating. Skywalker attacked the Rodian, but Jinn's timely arrival ended the fight, and the Jedi gave him a pouch of credits that Jinn had received for selling the podracer to Sebulba.[32] On their way back to Skywalker's house, Jinn intervened when he saw several slaves being mistreated by their master, and the Jedi used the Force to convince the slaves' owner to treat them better.[42]

Returning home with Jinn, Skywalker ecstatically showed his mother the credits, and his happiness only increased when Jinn told him that he had been freed and Jinn wanted him to become a Jedi. Anakin was so excited that it was several minutes before he realized that Shmi had not been freed as well, and he was dismayed when Shmi insisted that Anakin go with Jinn to a better future without her. Packing his stuff, Skywalker bid goodbye to C-3PO and Banai, but when it came time to leave, Anakin's resolve broke and he ran back to his mother. Despite their sorrow at being parted, Shmi convinced her son to go with the Jedi, and he said goodbye to Jira as he and Jinn left Mos Espa. However, Jinn destroyed a strange probe droid that had been surveying them on their way out of the city, and the concerned Jedi urged Skywalker to hurry with him.[32]

As they raced towards the starship that Naberrie and Jinn had come to Tatooine on, Skywalker was suddenly ordered to drop to the ground and complied just as a dark-robed figure shot overhead on a speeder. The man leapt at Jinn, drawing a red-bladed lightsaber and attacking the Jedi as Jinn urged Skywalker to get aboard the ship and to take off. Rushing aboard, he told Naberrie and the security officer with her Jinn's instructions, and Naberrie pulled him aboard to the cockpit to tell Jinn's apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi what had happened. The pilot Ric Olié followed Kenobi's instructions to fly towards the fight, and Skywalker scrambled into a seat as Kenobi raced to the landing ramp and helped Jinn escape from the dark warrior. Skywalker rushed to help Jinn as the ship took off and left Tatooine.[32]

New worlds

"Anakin, this path has been placed before you. The choice is yours alone."

Later that night, aboard the ship, which Skywalker learned was the personal starship of the Queen of the planet Naboo, Skywalker struggled to fall asleep in the central chamber, as the ship's temperature was radically different to the constant heat of Tatooine that he was used. As he huddled in silence and wondered whether leaving was a mistake, Skywalker witnessed Naberrie enter the room and watch a recording of a plea for help from the Naboo official Sio Bibble. She soon noticed him and gave him her overjacket as a blanket, and the two discussed the Trade Federation's invasion of Naboo and Naberrie's hopes that the Republic's Galactic Senate could resolve the crisis. Skywalker gave her a japor ivory wood pendant that he had carved for her so that she would remember him, and Naberrie comforted him as he once again began to cry as he remembered his mother.[32]

When they finally arrived at the Republic capital of Coruscant, Skywalker watched from the cockpit in awe as they approached the city-planet, and the ship was greeted when it landed by Supreme ChancellorFinis Valorum, Senator Palpatine of Naboo, and a contingent of Senate Guards. The Queen and her handmaidens—including Naberrie—departed with Palpatine, though they brought Skywalker and Binks along with them to Palpatine's office and left them outside while they discussed the situation. Skywalker soon began to listen at the door, though he began to wonder where Jinn and Kenobi had gone. Amidala changed into a new outfit before the group departed for the Senate Building, though Skywalker was unhappy to not see Naberrie among the handmaidens who accompanied the Queen, Panaka, Palpatine, Binks, and Skywalker to the Senate.[32]

The boy was amazed by the size of the Senate chamber, and he and Binks watched the proceedings froma small viewscreen that Rabé gave them when Amidala and Palpatine addressed the Senate. However, when Amidala's request for an intervention was denied through bureaucracy, the Queen moved for a vote of no confidence in Valorum just as Palpatine recommended. Less than an hour after the Senate went into recess, Skywalker was met by Qui-Gon Jinn, who told him he would be brought before the Jedi High Council. Before he went to the Jedi Temple, Skywalker went to the Queen's chambers in search of Naberrie, but the Queen promised to pass on his message when the handmaiden was absent.[32] However, Skywalker grew impatient at the amount of time it took for Jinn to meet with the Council at the Jedi Temple, and decided to explore the premises, eventually getting lost after a sparkly pyramid-like building caught Skywalker's eye.[43]

Skywalker being tested by the Jedi Council.

While trying to find his way back to the temple, Skywalker and Binks encountered a Coruscanti boy named Finn, who ended up not only lost, but his nanny droid ended up malfunctioning. Skywalker and Finn eventually stopped the nanny droid and repaired it, and returned both the droid and Finn to the latter's mother. In return, the mother directed him to the Jedi Temple, where he met up with Jinn.[43] At the Jedi Temple, Skywalker faced the twelve Jedi Masters on the Council who began to question him almost immediately, testing his memory and knowledge. Mace Windu then began to test Skywalker's abilities by asking him to determine what images were appearing on a screen that the Jedi was holding but that the boy could not see. Skywalker found his mind filled with images of what appeared on the screen, and he was able to name them all with perfect accuracy. However, when Windu and Master Yoda began to question him about his feelings and his mother, Skywalker asked how that was relevant. Yoda explained that fear was the starting point on the path of the dark side. Staying silent on the subject,[9] the boy put aside his fear and continued the examination.[32]

As night fell, Skywalker, Kenobi, and Jinn were called before the Council. The Jedi Masters acknowledged Skywalker's great power, but refused to train him on account of his age—causing Jinn to declare that he would take the boy on his own apprentice. However, Windu declared that the matter would be dealt with later, as the Naboo problem was more pressing. The Council permitted Skywalker to accompany Jinn, and the three returned to the Queen's starship, where Skywalker questioned Jinn about midi-chlorians. The Queen and her retinue departed not long afterwards, leaving Coruscant and heading back to the occupied Naboo in hopes of freeing the world from the Trade Federation.[9]

The Battle of Naboo

As they came out of hyperspace and began to approach the Naboo system, Skywalker sat in the cockpit with Olié and learned about the ship's controls while Queen Amidala held a meeting with the Jedi and her staff and announced her intentions to ally with the Gungans in order to drive the Trade Federation off Naboo. The group landed in the swamps of Naboo and sent Binks to the Gungan capital city of Otoh Gunga, and Skywalker talked briefly with Naberrie while they were waiting for him to return. He explained that the Council had decided not to accept him as a Jedi, but he became excited when Naberrie revealed that there would be a battle against the Trade Federation soon. When Binks finally returned, he explained that Otoh Gunga was empty, but he took the group to the Gungan sacred place where the Gungans had no doubt fled after the Trade Federation invaded.[32]

When the group was brought before BossRugor Nass, the leader of the Gungans, Skywalker was astonished to learn that Naberrie was in fact Padmé Amidala, the Queen, and that she had been posing as her double's handmaiden as a safety precaution. Skywalker, the Jedi, and Amidala's handmaidens joined the Queen in dropping to their knees before Boss Nass in a plea for Gungan aid, and Nass agreed to lend his army to the Queen's cause. In the hours that followed the meeting, Amidala and the Jedi began strategizing with the Gungan generals, leaving Skywalker to wander over to the Gungan sentries who were keeping watch for the returning Captain Panaka. Skywalker was dismayed to learn of Amidala's true identity, as it only furthered the distance between them, but his ruminations were cut short by the return of Panaka with several speeders of Naboo security officers who had escaped the Trade Federation's occupation. When Skywalker questioned Jinn as to what he would do in the upcoming battle, the Jedi told the boy that he would be safe as long as he stayed close to Jinn.[32]

When the group entered the Theed hangar bay, Skywalker heeded Jinn's command for him to stay hidden in the cockpit of one of the hangar's N1 starfighters. When several droidekas cornered the Naboo personnel in a firefight, Skywalker attempted to aid them with the N1's blaster cannons, although he accidentally activated the ship to go into space in the process.[9]

Ultimately, Skywalker fought in the Battle of Naboo in a vicious starfighter battle above the planet. After accidentally joining the battle in orbit, Skywalker single-handedly destroyed the orbital Droid Control Ship from within the ship, moments after Lt. Gavyn Sykes destroyed the deflector shield generator, thus rendering the Trade Federation's ground forces inactive and saving the Gungan Grand Army from destruction. The following celebration, however, was tainted with the death of Jinn, slain by Darth Maul.[9]

Skywalker becomes Kenobi's Padawan.

The Master's dying wish was for Kenobi to undertake Skywalker's training, which Kenobi promised to fulfill. The Council reluctantly agreed for Kenobi to begin Skywalker's training, though they were concerned that Skywalker would be too difficult a student for young Kenobi to handle, due to Kenobi's young age.[9]

Meanwhile, Palpatine, the Republic's newly-appointed Supreme Chancellor, promised Skywalker that he would watch the young Jedi's career with "great interest,"[9] beginning a long friendship between the young Jedi and the new ruler of the Republic.[10]

Continuing to pod race

At this age, Skywalker participated in more podraces. He was the racetrack champion on the Naboo-based Lianorm Raceway.[44]

Jedi apprentice

Early years

Skywalker as a Jedi Padawan

"The boy has exceptional skills.""But he still has much to learn, Master. His abilities have made him… well, arrogant."

As Kenobi's Padawan, Skywalker was given his own room in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, in which he soon installed a workbench with tools. He continued to tinker with machines and droids despite the fact that the Order largely had no use for them, and his droids could often be found throughout the Temple on various assignments. Skywalker found himself uncomfortable with the fact that the Jedi Council and other Jedi treated him differently than other Padawans, as the boy's skills and abilities were far more advanced than his fellows. He and Kenobi soon developed a bond of mutual love and respect, though Skywalker continued to test the limits of their relationship to reassure himself that Kenobi still cared for him. However, whenever he tried to look inward with the Force, Skywalker was terrified by the great pain and power that he sensed in his future—a sensation that he described as "burning like a sun inside"—and his fear drove him to recklessness.[45] Not long after arriving at the Temple, Skywalker met the Cerean Jedi Master Ki-Adi-Mundi and his Tusken apprentice A'Sharad Hett.[26]

Skywalker training at the Jedi Temple.

About three years into his training, Skywalker and Kenobi had their first mission together to investigate cult leader Kad Chun. Chun, calling himself Uni, was co-leader of disenchanted idealists and refugees who wanted to flee their bureaucracy-flooded worlds. Kad's father, Vox Chun, the leader of the cult, was killed when Kenobi and Skywalker came to investigate. Later, Kad Chun forgave Kenobi and his scheming father for what they had done.[46]

Zonama Sekot

Still craving thrills and adventure at the age of twelve, he salvaged a pair of race wings and secretly participated in the highly dangerous and illegal garbage pit races held in the lower levels of Galactic City. During one such race, he was nearly killed by a Blood Carver named Ke Daiv before Kenobi reached him.[47]

The next mission they took was to the living planet of Zonama Sekot to find Jedi Knight Vergere, who had recently vanished on a mission there. Unbeknownst to them, Wilhuff Tarkin and Raith Sienar had followed them to exploit Zonama Sekot's ability to fuse organic and high technology into starfighters, creating them at an astonishing rate and at an extremely high quality. On the planet, the colonists sold "seed-partners," which bonded with their hosts and allowed the planet to customize a starfighter for the individual. Skywalker attracted many more seed-partners than anyone, and thus, had a bigger and more intricate ship. He named this new biological ship Jabitha. When Tarkin and Sienar arrived, the planet revealed its sentient consciousness to the Jedi, explaining that Vergere had left with the mysterious "Far Outsiders" in order to protect Zonama Sekot. Skywalker and Kenobi could not rescue the Fosh Jedi, but they were able to halt Tarkin's attack.[47]

When Ke Daiv, now Tarkin's bodyguard, attempted to kill Skywalker, the boy, in a fit of uncontrollable rage, telekinetically burned the Blood Carver from the inside out. Unfortunately, Skywalker was captured and brought before Tarkin. Kenobi, however, managed to destroy Tarkin's flagship and rescue his Padawan. During this altercation, Zonama Sekot was able to activate its planetary hyperdrive, causing the planet to vanish, bound for the Unknown Regions. Afterward, Sienar and Tarkin returned to the Republic. Skywalker's organic ship, unfortunately, died while away from her creator. After the conclusion of this mission, Kenobi and Skywalker returned to Coruscant.[47]

Crafting a lightsaber

"We are not here on a mission. It is a quest. It is here that you will gather the crystals to fashion your own lightsaber."

In 28 BBY, Kenobi took his Padawan on a journey to the planet Ilum to construct his lightsaber, though he did not tell Skywalker where they were going at first. When they arrived, Kenobi had Skywalker land their ship on a small ledge near the crystal cave that was their destination. When Kenobi told him the name of the planet and their purpose there, Skywalker became excited at the prospect of getting his lightsaber, and the two pulled on winter survival gear before they departed their ship. They two used cable launchers to climb the icy cliff nearby and reach the cave in the cliff face, but the two happened upon a group of sleeping gorgodons—large, hulking predators native to Ilum. One of the creatures awoke almost immediately and attacked, striking Skywalker with its enormous tail and tossing him back towards the cliff edge, though Kenobi was able to pull him to safety.[35]

Using his training lightsaber, Skywalker aided his master in battling the gorgodons, though when Kenobi slipped on a hidden patch of ice and was in danger of being pinned, Skywalker used the Force to leap to Kenobi's aid only to be swatted into the wall. Recovering, Skywalker tried to rush to Kenobi's aid but did not notice another gorgodon sneaking up on him, forcing Kenobi to jump in front of his apprentice and be pinned against the cliff instead. Using his cable launcher, Skywalker climbed the creature's back and stabbed it with his training lightsaber in a vulnerable point in the gorgodon's neck, killing it, and the other gorgodons fled the cave when they caught the death scent of their fellow.[35]

Removing their survival gear, the two prepared to enter the cave, but Kenobi warned his student of the visions that he would face within, and Kenobi stopped just inside the first cave as Skywalker went on alone. Striding confidently into the cave, Skywalker ignored the voices that he heard whispering in the darkness, but when he encountered a vision of himself at the age of seven or eight, he stopped dead. A bell that the boy had been playing with rolled towards Skywalker and blood began to pour from the bell's opening, though Skywalker reminded himself that it was an illusion. However, a vision of his mother being attacked a shadowy figure drove the boy to charge the illusions in anger.[35]

The visions finally ended when he looked down and saw formations of lightsaber crystals on the cave floor, and at Kenobi's urging, Skywalker reached out and chose three that seemed to speak to him. Following Kenobi's instructions, he began to meditate, but Kenobi's form suddenly twisted into that of the Sith Lord who had killed Qui-Gon Jinn. The Sith began to taunt Skywalker and tossed him a red-bladed lightsaber, stoking the boy's rage and trying to lure him to the dark side, but Skywalker resisted the Sith's attempts until he mentioned Skywalker's mother. Enraged, the Padawan attacked the vision, but the Sith Lord quickly destroyed the boy's training lightsaber and sent him flying into the cave wall.[35]

Determined, Skywalker summoned his will and banished the vision, though the Sith warned him that his darkness would remain within the Jedi. When he opened his eyes, Skywalker found that the lightsaber that the Sith had thrown him—one that was just like what Skywalker had in mind for his own—remained in his lap, and the blade glowed blue when he activated it. Returning to the cave entrance, Skywalker showed the weapon to Kenobi and told him about how he had apparently made the weapon during a trance state, though he did not tell his Master about the vision of the Sith. Just then, Kenobi was contacted on his comlink and informed that they were being summoned back to Coruscant for a mission.[35]

On a mission to Nar Shaddaa when Skywalker was 13, he killed the T'surr slave trader Krayn by burning a hole in his chest. This allowed all the slaves of Krayn to be freed, as well as ending Jedi Knight Siri Tachi's undercover mission there.

Mission to Radnor

Not long after, the young Jedi and his Master were called upon, along with Tachi (who was now a Knight), Soara Antana, Ry-Gaul, and their Padawans, Ferus Olin, Darra Thel-Tanis, and Tru Veld, respectively, on a mission to Radnor to help with the evacuation of the planet. The evacuation was due to a deadly toxin that had spread throughout the planet because of a chemical leak. He and the other Jedi and their Padawans later discovered that the toxic leak was connected with the Avoni raiders. The path of guilt led to Galen, a traitorous Radnoran, who was taken into custody for his crimes. However, the Avoni did not pay for their crime and were not forced to make amends. To Skywalker, it almost seemed as if the planet was worse off than when they had found it.

The Outbound Flight project

"Sometimes a Jedi's most important duty is to stand and wait. I presume you've mentioned that to Anakin on occasion?""Not more than twice a day."

Before this, Skywalker and Kenobi were sent to Barlok to monitor the overbearing Jedi Knight Jorus C'baoth and his timid Padawan, Lorana Jinzler, in their negotiation mission between the Corporate Alliance and the Barlok. Unbeknownst to them, Kinman Doriana, on behalf of Darth Sidious, had planned for the negotiation to work splendidly in C’baoth's favor, gaining him enough prestige to go ahead with his pet project, Outbound Flight.

Skywalker and his master were again sent to observe the self-acclaimed Jedi Master C'baoth on this project, at least until its last stop within the known galaxy. Kenobi did not approve of C’baoth's overseeing of the project, butting heads with the Jedi Master on numerous occasions. However, the hardheaded and arrogant C'baoth would not listen, and was glad when they disembarked the venture on Outbound Flight's last stop, Roxuli. Despite the problems his master and C’baoth had had, Skywalker greatly admired C'baoth, whom he saw as an example of a great leader. These views would also shift his view of a better galaxy under the harsh rule of Palpatine.

Trouble on Ragoon VI

Later on, a simple Jedi training mission to Ragoon VI caused Skywalker and Kenobi to get tangled up with a mysterious man whose mission in life seemed to be to kill them. Further research on him revealed that he was from Nierport VII, collected Sith artifacts, and was extremely wealthy—though he had no tangible source of income.

The Galactic Games

Skywalker and Kenobi were then dispatched to the Galactic Games in order to ensure the peace. Skywalker found out about an illegal podrace being set up, and, instead of reporting it, he decided to join. Meanwhile, Kenobi, with the help of Siri Tachi and apprentice Ferus Olin, unraveled a huge plan to ruin several senators' careers by framing them in a plot to rig some of the games. The plan was orchestrated by Maxo Vista, and Kenobi learned from him that the podrace was also rigged so that the lead podracer would lose control of his brakes and possibly kill hundreds. Too late, Kenobi set out to warn Skywalker, but his Padawan had already started racing and eventually took the lead. Kenobi could only watch helplessly as Skywalker's brakes malfunctioned. However, using the Force and his piloting skills, Skywalker managed to gain control of his craft and avert a tragedy. After this event, further investigation was done on the man who previously tried to kill them, and it was revealed that the man was trying to take over the marketing of bacta through a mining venture. Skywalker, after being captured by him, found out, with the aid of Kenobi, that the man's name was Granta Omega. He also discovered that he was trying to impress a Sith Lord by killing Skywalker. Master and apprentice were able to escape, halting Omega's mining of titanite in the process. Omega himself, however, escaped their grasp.

Student and warrior

Kenobi and Skywalker were later sent on a mission to find out what had happened to the Consular-class cruiser, the Radiant IX, which was carrying the Jedi Et Rex and Alysun Celz back to Coruscant to be punished for falling to the dark side. They discovered that, while on their flight, a large group of mynocks had fed on energy from the ships electrical couplings, causing the ship to plummet into the gravity well in the Hoth system, and crash landed on an asteroid known as the Poison Moon. The distress signal was sent even as Celz killed everyone on the ship. Rex managed to escape Celz and befriend a group of mynocks. When the Jedi found Celz on the bridge of the ship, she insisted that it was Rex who did it. Kenobi went to find Rex, leaving Skywalker with Celz. When Kenobi found Rex, Rex convinced him that Celz was framing him, and the two hurried back to save Skywalker. In the meantime, Celz tried to convince Skywalker to leave his master, but failed. Celz angrily knocked out Skywalker with her Force lightning, revealing to the Jedi as they entered that she had killed everyone on board. Kenobi engaged her with his lightsaber, only to be knocked back by a dose of Force lightning. Rex sent his mynocks after her lightning, feeding on it like they would electricity. The Jedi left the moon on Kenobi and Skywalker's ship, with Celz as their new prisoner, and headed back to Coruscant.

Mission to Andara

"You had a responsibility! Just as I had one to Siri. You betrayed me and the Order by your actions. And your inability to see that troubles me the worst of all."

Not long after, in 27 BBY, fourteen-year-old Skywalker and his Master were given a mission to investigate a senator's son's disappearance, which they presumed to have much to do with an elite school for senators' children. In order to investigate a band of renegade students and the school itself, the Jedi council gave Skywalker and Ferus Olin the task of penetrating the school, which was located on Andara, by posing to be senators' sons. Soon, Skywalker had located the students and acquired their trust. He decided to join them on a mock attack on a Senator's ship, which in Skywalker's view would be helping those who were unrepresented under the Senator's jurisdiction. Olin did not like the plan and warned Skywalker of its problems; however, Skywalker dismissed his caution due to his rivalry with Olin.

Later, Olin suddenly disappeared, but Skywalker neglected to inform his master. Before the "mock" attack could begin, he found out that the attack would actually be real, and it threatened to start a war. Before he could leave and inform Kenobi, the leader of the group, revealed as Gillam Tarturi, the Senator's missing son, informed Skywalker that the Padawan would have to die in order for Gillam's plan to proceed. Left with no choice, Skywalker disarmed Gallam and the rest of the members, shut down the lasers of the starfighter the group was planning to use, and, at the same time, destroyed ten attack droids. At this point, Kenobi, along with Siri Tachi and Ferus Olin, had arrived to Skywalker's aid, but he had finished the fight before they could help him. Skywalker's level of skill, nearly equal to some great Jedi Masters, left Kenobi unnerved. However, Skywalker's master was also furious that Skywalker had not told Kenobi that Olin was missing, and for the first time, Kenobi shouted at his Padawan. This incident widened the gap between Skywalker and Kenobi.

When Skywalker was fifteen, he, Kenobi, Yoda, and Yaddle were sent on a negotiation mission to Mawan to settle a devastating gang war, in which three criminal organizations fought one another. These gangs, led by Decca the Hutt, Feena Shaan, and Striker, caused the remainder of the population to take refuge underground. During the mission, Skywalker was kidnapped by Striker's men. Striker, revealed to be Granta Omega, tried tempting Skywalker to leave the Jedi Order and come with him, offering visions of freeing the slaves and his mother on Tatooine. When he saw that Skywalker would not yield, he made Skywalker arrange a meeting with himself and Yaddle. Unbeknownst to her and the rest of the Jedi, the chaotic planet was a trap set for the Jedi by Omega. He released a fatal chemical weapon that killed Yaddle when she absorbed it through the Force. However, through her sacrifice, she saved the city of Naatan. The weapon was intended by its vengeful maker to kill Skywalker and Kenobi, but it failed because of what Yaddle had done. Kenobi and Skywalker immediately contacted Master Yoda, who knew Yaddle had died, and prepared his transport to Mawan. Skywalker and Kenobi managed to bring peace to Mawan, and even after Yoda's words of comfort, Skywalker still felt responsible for the death of the Jedi High Council member.

The Zone of Self-Containment

Skywalker's guilt about Yaddle's death caused friction between him and Kenobi, who felt that he was less than capable of teaching the mischievous Skywalker properly. When sent on a rescue mission in the Uziel system to a planet called Vanqor, the two were forced to try and reconcile their differences. They were forced through several tribulations, including a run-in with a nest of gundarks. Skywalker was then placed under the influence of a drug called the Zone of Self-Containment, and taken prisoner by the insane and fanatical scientistJenna Zan Arbor. Siri Tachi, Ferus Olin, Garen Muln, and Clee Rhara, who were also sent on another mission entirely, received the distress signal from Kenobi while en route to their own destination. They picked up Skywalker and Kenobi on Vanqor.

Trailing Jenna Zan Arbor

Zan Arbor escaped, however, and did not resurface again until Skywalker was seventeen. From information given to them by Tyro Caladian, they discovered that she had reappeared on Romin, a focus of corruption and villainy and a shelter for criminals. In order to infiltrate the planet, he, his Master, Tachi, and Olin disguised themselves as a band of thieves looking for refuge on the planet. They discovered that Zan Arbor had allied herself with Roy Teda—the ruler of Romin—and Granta Omega, Kenobi and Skywalker's old adversary. The Jedi were about to be captured when civil war erupted. The underworld was trying to overthrow Teda, and, in the midst of it, Teda and Zan Arbor fled. The two criminals contacted the Jedi—thinking they were actually criminals—to try to find a way offworld. Unfortunately, Zan Arbor recognized Skywalker from their previous encounter, and Teda ordered his men to seize the Jedi. Before they could do so, Mace Windu and a team of Jedi arrived, arresting Teda and Zan Arbor. In spite of this, since the Jedi were trying to get to Omega, and they knew the two would lead them to him, they set the two captives free.

Trouble on Coruscant

Only a few weeks later, Kenobi and his apprentice trailed Zan Arbor and Teda to Falleen, where the rogues had managed to set up the Blackwater Systems facility to mass-produce her drug, the Zone of Self-Containment. When they were found, Zan Arbor was forced to destroy the facility and they once more fled.

Skywalker and Olin were again paired when the trail of Zan Arbor and Teda led back to Coruscant. Sano Sauro—a friend of Granta Omega—and Bog Divinian started to make anti-Jedi accusations in order to convince the Galactic Senate to lessen or completely dissolve its support of the Order. This vote, which was about whether or not the Jedi should be involved in the Senate's activities, was all a part of Sauro and Omega's plan to leak the Zone of Self-Containment drug into the Senate's vents and assassinate Chancellor Palpatine. Skywalker and Olin, who were learning to forget their rivalry and understand each other, managed to prevent the assassination attempt on the Supreme Chancellor. Omega's plan was uncovered, but not in time to save twenty-one Senators and several other Senate employees from being killed by seeker droids programmed by Teda. Unbeknownst to the renegade, since Zan Arbor and Omega had no more use for the man, a seeker droid killed him, as well. Afterward, Kenobi, Skywalker, and Tachi set off to find Omega, leaving Olin to protect the Senators and Palpatine.

Confronting old adversaries

Kenobi and Skywalker confront Granta Omega.

Tracking Omega and Zan Arbor to Korriban, four Jedi pairs—Skywalker and Kenobi, Tachi and Olin, Ry-Gaul and Tru Veld, and Soara and Darra—journeyed there to confront and stop them. During the course of the hunt, the apprentices were split up from the Masters to better accomplish the mission. The investigation of Dreshdae led them to the Valley of the Dark Lords. Because of the dark side power of the planet, the Padawans, instead of working as a team, started fighting amongst themselves. When Skywalker found out about Olin's advanced training, he was extremely jealous of him, and, because of all of the friction, their journey to find Omega was catastrophic. They were caught and halted by numerous traps that they would have been able to avoid were they able to function as a team. Because of this, the confrontation with Omega was a complete and utter disaster.

Previously, during the fighting, Veld's lightsaber was damaged, and Olin decided to repair it. Skywalker, who was more mechanically adept than Olin, noticed that the repair job would not work. Instead of speaking out and properly repairing the saber himself, he kept quiet, hoping to humiliate Olin. During a battle in one of the tombs, Veld's lightsaber began to fail. Olin switched lightsabers with Veld in order to protect him. Darra noticed the faulty lightsaber and leaped to protect Olin. However, she was riddled with blaster fire and killed. This caused friction between Tru Veld and Skywalker, her death being partly Skywalker's fault. Kenobi, who showed up just in time, was forced to kill Granta Omega with a stroke of his blade. Zan Arbor managed to elude capture once more, and was not seen again by the Jedi or the Republic.

Olin, blaming himself for Darra's death, resigned from the Jedi Order.

Growing up

Sometime later, Skywalker and his Master were sent on a diplomatic mission to a planet wishing to join the Galactic Republic. They soon found out, however, that the planet's indigenous population considered thievery an important social asset. During their stay, Skywalker's lightsaber was stolen. The Padawan searched for it, ashamed to tell Kenobi that he lost it, but soon had to admit defeat. Asking Kenobi for help, he found that the Jedi Knight knew the lightsaber had been stolen, and, using a trick of the Force, had "acquired" it from the thief. Kenobi had merely been waiting for Skywalker to admit that he had lost it.

Kenobi and his apprentice, who was then sixteen, were then assigned to the task of protecting Senator Simon Greyshade from assassination. Greyshade had recently filled the station of Senator of the Commonality; a Senatorial seat left by his assassinated cousin. Simon's cousin, Jheramahd Greyshade, had been thrown off of the roof of 500 Republica in an attempt to stall the passage of the Financial Reform Act, which the Senator had supported. The act was a bill that addressed and was meant to reduce the amount of corruption that was causing the Senate, and, through them, the Republic, to disintegrate.

Senator Greyshade, who had received a death threat for his stand, was now under protection by the Jedi duo. CommanderZalin Bey of the Senate Guard and her unit were assigned to investigate Jheramahd's assassination. Skywalker and Kenobi had their hands full protecting Simon from myriad assassins: droids; Keluda, a Dug; and Princess Tsian, whom they could not seriously investigate because of her diplomatic immunity. Despite these hurdles, Tsian was arrested and Keluda was killed.

Sagoro Autem and Isaru Omin continued the investigation of the Senator's murder, turning up several disturbing facts. Sagoro's brother, Venco, had assassinated Jheramahd, and convinced Reymet Autem, Sagoro's son, to unwittingly help him in another assassination, this time an attempt on Simon's life, but this second attempt failed. Sagoro managed to let his son escape, but, unfortunately, when Omin discovered his obstruction of justice, too late for him to arrest Reymet, he arrested Sagoro. The man took the blame and disgrace for what his son had done, and was removed from the office of Senate Guard. Simon Greyshade was safe once more.

Because it was found that the assassination and attempted assassination was because of the Financial Reform Act, it never got a vote. Some say that this was the cause of a good portion of the seceding planets that would soon make the Confederacy of Independent Systems, and could have prevented the Clone Wars had it been passed.

War on the horizon

At the age of nineteen, in 22 BBY, Skywalker and Kenobi, along with Luminara Unduli and her apprentice, Barriss Offee, were sent to Ansion to settle a border dispute that had the potential to cause the extremely strategic planet to secede to the Confederacy. If Ansion fell, so would countless other worlds. The Jedi negotiated a settlement with city dwellers to remain in the Republic, provided they also convinced the nomadic Alwari to allow expansion into the grasslands. Little did they know that Presidente Shu Mai of the Commerce Guild was pulling the strings to cause Ansion to secede. Arriving early, Kenobi and Skywalker were just in time to rescue Unduli and Offee from a mob of killers. Thanks again to Shu Mai and her minion Soergg the Hutt, the Jedi were in constant danger from attack by hired killers, including a successful kidnapping of Offee by two Ansionians, Kyakhta and Bulgan. Offee healed the two killers of injuries though, and they became guides for the Jedi to find the nomadic clans, particularly the Borokii overclan. Traveling on suubatars, the Jedi braved hazards such as flying chawix, kyren hordes, capture by the Yiwa clan and shanhs. On one occasion, the Jedi were required to publicly entertain their hosts, each in turn and in their own way. When called up himself, Skywalker chose to sing a song - a ballad he had known and often sung in childhood, impressing both the Ansionians and his fellow Jedi with his deep and resonant voice.

The Jedi eventually made contact with the Borokii overclan, who, after requiring the Jedi to retrieve a tuft of rare albino surepp wool, agreed to the Jedi's settlement—provided they helped wage war against their rivals, the Januul clan. Skywalker was shocked when Kenobi agreed, but he had a plan. When the battle lines were drawn, the Jedi marched out into the middle and refused to fight either side, calling on both clans to negotiate a settlement. Kenobi, Skywalker, Unduli, and Offee were subsequently attacked by both sides, but they deflected the assaults, and amazingly parried only the weapons, defeating both armies with no loss of life. In the wake of the following peace between the tribes, the Jedi journeyed back to the capital of Cuipernam to inform the Unity Council controlling the planet's fate of their success. While they were attacked again by thugs, the two clans sent an honor guard to help the Jedi, and Ansion remained in the Republic thanks to the efforts of Skywalker and his companions. Because of her status as President, Shu Mai was not discovered to be a part of the matter.

Reunited with Amidala

"You're asking me to be rational. That is something that I know I cannot do. Believe me, I wish I could just wish away my feelings, but I can't."

Just one day after his twentieth birthday,[48] there was an attempt on the life of Padmé Amidala, now the Senator of the Chommell sector, by the bounty hunter Zam Wesell. Skywalker was personally assigned to protect and escort Amidala back to her homeworld. To avoid looking conspicuous, the two traveled as refugees. Skywalker had not seen her in ten years, though he had thought about her daily since their parting at Naboo. His childhood fascination with her had turned into a powerful infatuation. In conversation, Skywalker revealed his affection for her, his frustration with Kenobi's training methods, a distrust of the political process, and his view of the need for one strong leader. Over a short time, his infatuation for her blossomed into something more: love. Eventually Amidala began to return his feelings.[11]

It was at Amidala's lake retreat where the two lost their inhibitions and shared their first kiss. Both seemed entranced with the other despite their different social castes. However, Amidala eventually came to her senses, and while Skywalker was concerned with his feelings and living in the present moment—even suggesting they could keep their relationship a secret—Amidala was more concerned with duty and obligation. She had enough foresight to know their current situations would not allow for a relationship between them. Skywalker's pursuit of a relationship with her was in violation of Jedi tradition, which held that although Jedi were not required to be celibate, they were to avoid attachment to all but the Force itself.[11]

Return to Tatooine

"Why'd she have to die? Why couldn't I save her? I know I could have!""Sometimes there are things no one can fix. You're not all powerful, Ani.""Well I should be! Someday I will be. I will be the most powerful Jedi ever! I promise you. I will even learn to stop people from dying!""Anakin…""It's all Obi-Wan's fault! He's jealous! He's holding me back!"

Skywalker had been suffering from recurring nightmares about his mother, Shmi, for several months prior to meeting Amidala again; and, because of them, went against the spirit of his orders to protect Amidala by bringing her to Tatooine to find Shmi. Upon landing on Tatooine, Skywalker made his way straight for Watto's shop, where he discovered that a moisture farmer named Cliegg Lars had freed and married his mother.[11]

While speaking with Lars, he learned, to his horror, that Shmi had been abducted by Tusken Raiders. He immediately set out in pursuit of her on Owen Lars'swoop bike. That night, the young Jedi discovered the Tusken village beyond the B'Thazoshe Bridge, and slipped into the tent that contained his mother, most likely locating her with his Jedi senses. He freed her from her bonds, but it was too late. Battered, sleep-deprived, and dehydrated, Shmi Skywalker died in his arms, but not before seeing him for the last time.[11]

Skywalker allowed the shock of her death to catalyze an explosion of his long-nursed anger and selfishness. He flew into a berserk rage, slaughtering all present in the camp without mercy—even, as he confessed to Amidala later, the women and children. A number of Jedi, including Yoda and the deceased Qui-Gon Jinn, sensed the shock of this massacre as well as Skywalker's powerful Force presence, which bordered on closer to the dark side of the Force.[11]

When Skywalker told Amidala that he had killed the tribe, he justified his actions at first. Amidala was clearly troubled by what Skywalker had done, but had invested herself too much in him to be truly repulsed. She tried to soothe him with sympathy and told no one of Skywalker's hideous act. In his anger and sorrow, he rashly claimed that one day he would have the power to stop people from dying, he claimed that Obi-Wan was jealous of his power and was holding him back. He then expressed his hate for the Sand People before remembering that he was a Jedi and broke down in remorse for killing the Sand People. Amidala told him that his emotions made him human, but Skywalker responded that he was a Jedi and he was supposed to be better than this and be above revenge.[11]

Battle of Geonosis

"I was beginning to wonder if you had gotten my message.""I retransmitted it just as you had requested, Master; then we decided to come and rescue you.""Good job."

While still on Tatooine, Skywalker discovered that Kenobi had been taken hostage by the Geonosian-engineered Confederacy of Independent Systems's droid forces. He initially decided to honor Mace Windu's order to protect Amidala at all costs and to stay on Tatooine, the episode with his mother having caused him to lose confidence in himself. However, Amidala convinced him that rescuing his mentor was the right thing to do and they traveled to Geonosis. Once on the planet, Skywalker and Amidala infiltrated the droid foundries, but they were attacked by Geonosians and Skywalker's lightsaber was caught in machinery and was destroyed. The two were captured as well and sentenced to die in a gladiatorial execution arena. Faced with their impending fate, they finally confessed their love to one another and kissed for what they thought was the last time. Skywalker, Amidala, and Kenobi each faced ferocious arena beasts, but were able to escape them. Skywalker tamed the Reek set to attack him but they were surrounded by droidekas. However, a team of Jedi led by Mace Windu attacked the droids gathering in the arena and the three escaped. Skywalker took up a green lightsaber and founght the droids alongside Amidala. The Jedi remaining were herded into the center of the arena, having taken huge casualties despite killing Jango Fett. However, the newly discovered Clone Army arrived to rescue the Jedi, and the trio were airlifted out of the arena. The clone troopers allowed all three of them to escape and fight in the ensuing battle.[11]

Skywalker and Kenobi pursued CountDooku, the mastermind of the Confederacy and, unbeknownst to them, a Sith Lord. They gave chase across the vast Geonosian sands, where he led them to a CIS-owned hangar. Once they caught up with Dooku, Skywalker, against the better advice of his Master, foolishly charged the Sith with a headstrong attitude. It was the Padawan's undoing: Dooku unleashed a powerful barrage of Force lightning on Skywalker, knocking the youth unconscious and leaving Kenobi to face Dooku alone. Kenobi put up a valiant fight, however, his skills proved no match for the more powerful and experienced Dooku, and he was soon incapacitated. As Skywalker recovered from the Force lightning, he witnessed Dooku raising his lightsaber to deliver the final blow against the fallen Kenobi.[11]

Skywalker loses his right arm to Dooku's blade.

Skywalker, calling upon the Force, leaped into the path of Dooku's lightsaber, blocking it with his own, saving his Master's life in the process. Taking up his fallen master's weapon, Skywalker unleashed a flurry of attacks, which caught Dooku off guard at first. However, despite the tactical advantage the second blade granted, it was short-lived. Without more than basic training in Jar'Kai, Skywalker's use of two blades simply wasn't good enough to pass through Dooku's guard, and the Sith eventually managed to destroy the green blade, leaving Skywalker with only his blue. At that point, Dooku's greater practice and experience with Makashi allowed him to regain the upper hand, and, despite holding his own for much of the duel, Skywalker lost the battle—and his right arm— to Dooku. After being rescued by Yoda, Skywalker, Amidala, and Kenobi were transported back to the Jedi Temple for healing.[11]

Marriage to Padmé Amidala

Skywalker marries Senator Amidala.

"One day they'd get some lovesick Jedi doing something crazy, whatever the training was supposed to knock out of them, and it wouldn't end well."

After Skywalker's forearm was replaced with a mechno-arm[11] crafted by the Chief Healer Vokara Che, he remained in the Halls of Healing as he grew accustomed to the replacement. Meanwhile, Kenobi was sent by Master Yoda to force Amidala to end her relationship with the Chosen One. Lying, she agreed, yet asked to do it herself. She suggested having Skywalker escort her back to Naboo and that is when she would end it.

However, the escort was a ploy, and Skywalker married Amidala, even though that meant breaking the Jedi Code; but he had gone past caring, and set the marriage at Varykino on Naboo in a secret ceremony performed by a Naboo holyman. C-3PO and his counterpart, R2-D2, were the only witnesses. The newly-married couple would later struggle to keep this illicit relationship secret.[11]

The Clone Wars

Early battles

Skywalker and Kenobi during the start of the Clone Wars.

"You are strong and wise, Anakin, and I am very proud of you. I have trained you since you were a small boy. I have taught you everything I know, and you have become a far greater Jedi than I could ever hope to be."

With the onset of the Clone Wars, Anakin Skywalker started on his way to become a legendary hero. He was an unparalleled starfighter pilot, flying missions over several worlds, including Kamino, Balamak, and Virujansi, solidifying his reputation. He even earned the seldom-heard title of Tan in recognition of his exceptional piloting skills. He custom-modified his Delta-7 Aethersprite starfighter—naming it Azure Angel as a tribute to his wife—into a unique and deadly vessel that time and time again outperformed any ship on the battlefield. He also proved his worth outside the cockpit, destroying the ancient Sith weapon known as the Dark Reaper[49] and helping to drive back a Separatist invasion of Coruscant that even breached the Jedi Temple itself.[50] Skywalker also captured more than half of the prisoners of the Ghost Prison during the War.[51]

Dubbed the "Hero With No Fear", war molded Skywalker into a man and honed his combat ability, but it continued to nourish his ego. It was also a lie. Skywalker had no fear for his own life, but he was terrified for the lives of his Master, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, his Padawan Ahsoka Tano, the troops under his authority, and even R2-D2, who accompanied Skywalker whenever he could. It was difficult to rein in Skywalker as he increasingly had trouble following the strict doctrine governed by the Jedi Code, especially when the Order itself was complicit in ambiguous moral acts by waging a full-scale war. But, above all else, Skywalker feared for his beloved Padmé Amidala. He wrote to her whenever he could, and also tried to meet with her on several occasions, but because of their duties they saw each other very rarely. And the few times they did, Amidala was usually in danger, which fueled his protectiveness for her and his fear.[source?]

The Dark Reaper

One month after the start of the Clone Wars, Skywalker and Kenobi were involved in an operation to stop Count Dooku from obtaining the Dark Reaper, a powerful superweapon of mass destruction constructed during the Great Sith War and lost after its conclusion. Skywalker and Kenobi helped to evacuate the Republic outpost on Rhen Var and then went to Raxus Prime where Dooku had found the Force Harvester—a major part of the Dark Reaper. After his encounter with Dooku on Raxus Prime, Skywalker was captured and sent to Alaris Prime, to be executed by the Force Harvester, an ancient Sith weapon that drains the Force from all living things within its range. He escaped and traveled to Rhen Var. On Rhen Var, Skywalker fought his way to the tomb of Ulic Qel-Droma for information on how to withstand the effects of the Dark Reaper and the Harvester. Shortly after the Dark Reaper was revived on Thule, Skywalker led an attack on the capital city of Kessia and destroyed the Reaper using his TX-130S fighter tank. Although Skywalker did manage to destroy the Reaper, the knowledge he gained from Qel-Droma caused him to act more arrogantly toward Kenobi, and indirectly led him to take a step toward the path to the dark side of the Force.[49]

Battle of Ohma-D'un

When the planet Naboo lost contact with a Gungan colony on one of Naboo's moons, Ohma-D'un, Skywalker was sent along with a squad of four Jedi to investigate. They quickly found what had become of the Gungan colony. Every single Gungan had died of a mysterious chemical weapon. The Jedi were infected by the poison, but luckily its effects took longer to work on non-Gungans. They soon encountered Ohma-D'un super battle droids, B2 super battle droids and the bounty hunter Durge, and attacked them. Skywalker defeated many droids during the battle and helped to save the prisoners located in the nearby camp. It was the first time Skywalker encountered Asajj Ventress, who would be his nemesis throughout the whole war.[52]

Battle of Muunilinst and Duel on Yavin 4

"I'm going to make you pay for what you've done.""Come, Padawan. Your fall will be my ascension to the Sith."

At the request of the Supreme Chancellor, Anakin was made a commander and was charged with leading the Republic's space forces against the Separatist fleet in orbit above Muunilinst, homeworld of the InterGalactic Banking Clan, a pivotal member of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, during the Republic's attack on the planet. His piloting talents and leadership of a group of clone pilots led to a victory.[53]

A mysterious vessel caught his eye that wiped out Blue Squadron during the fray,[53] and he was drawn from the battle after determining that the Force was with the pilot, despite Obi-Wan Kenobi's admonition and suspicions that the fighter was leading him into a trap. He followed the enigmatic Fanblade starfighter through an intense chase through the streets of Muunilinst's capital city, back to space[54] and through hyperspace to Yavin 4. Beneath the jungle canopy and amongst the remains of ancient Massassi temples, a mysterious assassin slew all the clones sent by Kenobi to follow Skywalker and destroyed the Azure Angel II. Skywalker came face to face with the fanblade pilot, the Dark Jedi Asajj Ventress, and dueled with her. As they fought,[55][56] the battle progressed into and onto the temples of Yavin 4.

In the end, Skywalker was disarmed by Asajj, but was able to defeat her by taking one of her curved-hilt lightsabers, and repeatedly striking her, having brief visions of Jinn, Kenobi, and Yoda deeply troubled by what he was doing. His strikes caused the temple stone beneath her to crumble, and she fell through the ledge into a chasm apparently to her death; but she would later escape. As he stood victorious, Skywalker gave a loud yell of rage, knowing that he had won. This had only been accomplished, though, by tapping into his dark side.[57]

Battle on Skye

Kenobi temporarily took Halagad Ventor as a Padawan in addition to Skywalker, following the demise of Ventor's former master. He and Skywalker soon became friends and as a sign of their trust, they engaged in the Concordance of Fealty, a Jedi tradition where they temporarily swapped lightsabers as a sign of trust. They traveled to the planet of Skye, where they fought against the genetic terrorist Zeta Magnus. They foiled the terrorist's plot that threatened the planet with total destruction. Following the battle, Skywalker discovered the 13 year old S'kytriKharys, who proved to be strong in the Force. He wished to take her back with them for training, but Kenobi and Ventor believed she was too old to start on the path of a Jedi and refused to take her. However, Skywalker promised Kharys that he would return one day to train her.[60]

Rise of the Cortosis Battle Droids

Ten months after the Battle of Geonosis,[source?] a report reached the Jedi Council that a new type of battle droid was being deployed on Tatooine. Skywalker was sent to investigate and contact the Republic spy Raala Ponchar. However, he was captured by Aurra Sing and one of Dooku's Dark Acolytes, Saato, and imprisoned in Jabba's palace. He managed to escape, rescue Ponchar and kill Saato before learning that Count Dooku had infiltrated Coruscant with a small force on a mission to destroy the Jedi Archives in the Jedi Temple. Skywalker returned to Coruscant, killed another Dark Acolyte Trenox, but was delayed long enough for Dooku to steal at least one Holocron and escape. Skywalker then traveled to Metalorn to stop production of the Cortosis battle droids. There he single-handedly defeated bounty hunter Vandalor, Dark Acolytes Karoc, Vinoc and even a Doppelgänger of Dooku, captured Techno UnionForemanWat Tambor and destroyed the facility.[50]

Battle of Jabiim

On the rain-drenched world of Jabiim, during the battle that took place there, Skywalker came into his own. As Kenobi was thought to have been killed by a Separatist attack, Skywalker led a cadre of similarly "orphaned" Padawans. The loss of his Master and the horrors on the battlefield of Jabiim would have lasting effect on his life; and because of it he became even more fiercely independent and more frustrated by his failings. However, in the thick of the battle he received an urgent transmission from Palpatine to personally evacuate the planet. This ploy may have been made to save Skywalker from being killed on the battlefront.[source?]

Respecting the Chancellor's power and friendship, Skywalker had to comply with his wishes, though it was hard for him to desert his friends on the final front. Before leaving, the thirteen-year old Padawan Aubrie Wyn gave Skywalker her Master's holocron to return to the temple. Sadly, in the following five days as Skywalker left the front, all of the members of the Padawan Pack were killed in action. When the transports arrived, only a few had made it through the storms. Skywalker was faced with a hard and painful decision—as the last surviving Jedi on Jabiim, he ordered the evacuation of the planet. Enraged, CaptainOrliss Gillmunn pulled a blaster on Skywalker, who reacted instinctively with Force choke, strangling the officer. Such horrific acts were becoming far too natural for him; it was the first time he had used the Force in this manner but it would certainly not be the last. Gillmunn, leader of the disenchanted Jabiimi loyalists, swore to never forget this betrayal as the Loyalist Jabiimi was left to their fate. Once again, Skywalker had failed and the battle for Jabiim was lost. His actions during the battle would later spark the subjugation of Jabiim nearly twenty years later, where his children were captured by rogue rebels.[source?]

Two days after the evacuation, the wounded were taken to New Holstice, where Skywalker would first meet A'Sharad Hett, the Tusken Jedi, and his apprentice, Bhat Jul, who practiced as healers.[source?]

One of the wounded was Master Sora Mobari, who was injured in an explosion by Ithorian terrorists and who was not responding to treatments. Skywalker, unable to accept even one more Jedi lost, tried a different method—he used the same Force technique that he used to crushed Gillmunn's windpipe, and used it to massage Mobari's heart. Hett was horrified, so he tried to reason with Skywalker, saying that she was suffering needlessly. Skywalker insisted she would live, but in spite of his efforts she succumbed to her injuries. Skywalker was unable to accept that he could not save people from death; this experience would reinforce his desire to save the people he loved from dying.[source?]

Hett later showed Skywalker a memorial created for all the Jedi killed since the birth of the Republic. It was composed of supposedly immortal memory moths that whispered the names of the Jedi over and over again. Skywalker released a few months for all members of the Padawan Pack—Kass Tod, Mak Lotor, Tae Diath, Elora Sund, Vaabesh, Windo Nend, Zule Xiss, and Aubrie Wyn—and his own master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. As Hett released one for Sora Morbari, he reassured Skywalker that she was severed from the Living Force days ago and nothing could have stopped her from dying. Because of his Master's apparent death, Skywalker came under the tutelage of Ki-Adi-Mundi as a campaign began on the world of Aargonar.[source?]

Battle of Aargonar

On the desert world of Aargonar, an unimportant world, the Republic and Confederacy fought; the lines were drawn. During one of the skirmishes, Skywalker, Hett, and his apprentice, Jhul, were lost behind enemy lines.[source?]

Skywalker attempting to heal Jhul with the Force

Jhul had been seriously injured from a crash, and as he lay dying, Skywalker tried to use the Force to heal him, but it was to no avail; Jhul died from the fatal wounds. Skywalker, frustrated with the Nikto's death, chastised Hett, saying that had they been with him, they might have been able to save him. Hett replied that he had felt Jhul become one with the Force, arguing that Jhul had known that he was there with him in the Force, and that his physical presence would have made no difference.[source?]

As Skywalker and Hett began to work their way back to their army, Skywalker's prejudice against the Tuskens for killing his mother was beginning to demonstrate itself against the Tusken Jedi. He was insulted and angered when Hett spoke of the similarities between them: coming to Coruscant later in their lives, being raised on a desert planet, and having known only one parent. Skywalker's fury was intensified when Hett commented that Skywalker would have made a good Tusken.[source?]

When they reached a Separatist station, they began working on transport to return to their own base. So they could hijack a transport, Hett gave Skywalker the power cells from his and the Tusken Jedi's father's lightsaber to get the transport moving. That completed, they started the search for weapons to arm themselves. As the hours rolled by, Skywalker began to relive the memories surrounding his mother's death. When Separatist guards located the Padawan, who was slipping toward the dark side, he mistook them for Tuskens, and, in a fit of rage, slaughtered them all. In a blood haze, Skywalker turned on Hett, but the Tusken Jedi managed to disarm him and talk some sense into him.[source?]

Hett told Skywalker that, as a Tusken, he understood the vehement desire to take revenge, but because of his training as a Jedi he had learned that vengeance was not theirs to take. The Tusken Jedi also knew the lure of the dark side, knowing it needed to be avoided. After recounting to Hett his painful memories of his mother's death, Skywalker remembered that his mother's death and the slaughter that had followed it was something he had never told his old master, Kenobi.[source?]

Seeing the turmoil the boy was in, Hett concluded that if they were to survive and get along together, Skywalker must see him as a Jedi, and not a Tusken Raider. Hett removed his mask, surprising Skywalker, who saw that he was totally Human. He insisted that he was Tusken at heart, but also wholly a Jedi. Skywalker apologized to him, finally seeing Hett as an ally instead of an old foe. The two survived the trip back to the Republic lines.[source?]

Hett, contemplating the episode, decided to have people see him first as a Jedi, then as a Tusken. He also never told anyone else of Skywalker's secret, insisting that it was his burden and that Skywalker would have to face the repercussions of what he had done, believing that Skywalker would tell his master about the massacre, himself. Skywalker never did.[source?]

Not long afterward, Skywalker discovered that his master was indeed alive and had only been captured by Asajj, and was soon joyfully reunited with Kenobi, who had escaped from captivity.[source?]

Battle of Zaadja

The Battle of Zaadja was one of many emotional milestones for Anakin Skywalker, who increasingly encountered difficulties with the sacrifices he witnessed. Acting as a diversion, Kenobi and Skywalker led the Third Systems Army onto the field of battle to draw the Separatist forces away from the droid factory on Zaadja; concurrently, the young Jedi Tohno was tasked to infiltrate the droid factory and destroy it using military-grade explosives. After she planted all explosives, Tohno was ambushed by Geonosians. When Skywalker rushed to help her, Tohno realized that she would not survive her mission. She was able to convince him that if he came after her, it would cause needless casualties among the troopers of the Third System Army. Though he was reluctant to accept it, Skywalker agreed with Tohno's decision to end the Zaadja mission with as little loss of life as possible. Nonetheless, Skywalker would continue to struggle with the need for so many young, even promising, Jedi to sacrifice themselves throughout the course of the war.[61]

Knight of the Republic

After his heroic actions at the Battle of Praesitlyn and upon returning from the Mission to Vjun,[62] Skywalker was endowed with the title of Jedi Knight, despite the fact that he never went through the traditional Jedi Trials before being Knighted. It was a controversial decision; Kit Fisto and Ki-Adi-Mundi openly and zealously supported him, while Oppo Rancisis and Adi Gallia questioned whether Skywalker was mature enough. But in the end, the decision fell to Yoda, who decided to have him Knighted in a secret ceremony. Skywalker later sent his Padawan braid, which had been ritualistically severed by Yoda, to Amidala as a late devotion gift.[63]

Battle of Rendili and aftermath

Shortly after his knighthood, Skywalker participated in the Battle of Rendili. His idea was to use his starfighter to place concussion charges on critical weak points of the RendiliDreadnaught-class cruisers. Although Jedi Master Saesee Tiin objected to it, Skywalker's pride could not let him pass up any chance for a victory. Without permission, he proceeded to carry out his plan during the battle. It was a success, and helped achieve a Republic victory, fueling his ego and self-importance. After the battle, Skywalker returned to Coruscant, where he testified before the council regarding Quinlan Vos's involvement in the battle, helping the former Jedi regain his position in the order.[source?]

Immediately afterward, Skywalker journeyed to the Senate Building to meet Amidala, but as she wasn't there, he gratefully received a holographic message from one of her handmaidens. Traveling to the Galactic City's industrial sector to listen to the recording privately, he was ambushed by the Dooku-trained Asajj Ventress.[source?]

Asajj eavesdropped on Skywalker as he listened to the secret holodisc recording, thus discovering his relationship with Amidala. She destroyed the holodisc, and taunted Skywalker with threats to kill Amidala, after which the two engaged in a vicious lightsaber duel. It was during this battle that Skywalker received a vertical scar which ran above and below his right eye, and two small scars on his left cheek, from her lightsaber.[64]

Despite being painfully blemished, Skywalker persevered. Ventress had made the mistake of underestimating the young Jedi Knight's fierce desire to protect the ones he loved from harm, and, during the battle, Skywalker used the Force to entangle her in electrical cables and send her plummeting to the depths of Coruscant. As on Yavin IV, she survived the fall, but was too weak to pursue Skywalker.[source?]

Sometime after becoming a Knight, Skywalker and Kenobi were confronted by bounty hunters on an unknown planet. The two managed to escape on a swoop thanks to Skywalker's piloting and ingenuity, as he used the lightsaber's battery to give the swoop more speed.[65]

Skywalker also rescued fellow Jedi Serra Keto from the Separatist droids on a space station somewhere in the Outer Rim, after he received a distress call from her.[66]

On a heavily forested planet, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker were confronted by a battle droid fleeing from something. Instead of fighting, the droid recommended that the Jedi flee, as well. They soon discovered that the whole planet was full of dangerous monsters, which attacked them. However, Kenobi and Skywalker managed to survive.[67]

Mission to Christophsis

Anakin Skywalker pilots the stealth ship against Admiral Trench.

When SenatorBail Organa's relief force became trapped on Christophsis, Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and AdmiralWullf Yularen were sent to break the Separatist blockade and free Organa. Leading the initial assault, Skywalker was quickly repelled by the Separatists' new and devious tactics and rendezvoused with Kenobi behind one of Christophsis' moons to regroup. His former Master lent him use of one of the Republic's newest weapons, a stealth ship to sneak behind enemy lines. Before leaving for the mission, Skywalker was approached by Yularen, who volunteered himself for the mission, citing past experience with their dangerous foe, Admiral Trench. Zipping past Trench's flagship, Skywalker unleashed a torrent of missiles, which were quickly absorbed by the admiral's shields. Trench sent back a volley of his own shots, which were rendered inefficient as Skywalker disappeared under his ship's capabilities of remaining undetectable. At an efficient stalemate, Trench contacted Skywalker through a general hail, attempting to goad the Jedi into attacking. When the admiral revealed that he had dealt with stealth ships previously, Skywalker guessed that he had defeated the ship through use of a magnetic signature. Using the same knowledge against Trench, Skywalker allowed the Separatist to send out homing missiles, then skimmed along the bridge of his ship, sending the missiles slamming into the Separatist flagship and knocking Trench out of commission. With the blockade broken, Republic aid was able to reach Organa, and a lasting bond between Skywalker and the stalwart Yularen was forged.[68]

Battle on Christophsis

―Skywalker and Kenobi, as Skywalker enters the room to help him against Separatist forces — Listen(file info)[src]

When Christophsis was invaded by the Separatists, they put out a call for help to the Republic, and Skywalker and Kenobi were quickly dispatched to aid the planet, along with CommanderCody and CaptainRex. They set up defense in two towers and prepared as the droid forces advanced, seemingly unaware of the Jedi's presence. However, the droid army suddenly split up, and before Kenobi knew what was happening, droids arrived in his tower and started to attack. Skywalker called Hawk for an evacuation, and he and Rex proceeded to aid Kenobi. They managed to escape, and also managed to steal a tactical droid's head.[69]

However, the tactical droid did nothing but confirm that the Separatists knew of the Jedi's location. Kenobi suspected that someone in their squad had turned suit and betrayed the Republic. Kenobi and Skywalker instructed Cody and Rex to find the traitor while they went on a secret mission behind enemy lines. On the way, they discovered that an increasing number of droids were watching them but not attempting to fire, and Skywalker concluded that they were being led into a trap. Upon arrival, they encountered Asajj Ventress, and the three engaged in a duel. The Jedi managed to knock Ventress down, but she merely used her lightsabers to cut through the floor, pushing the Jedi a floor down. Ventress taunted them before leading them to see a complete army of droids preparing to attack the city. The Jedi escaped on STAPs, and Ventress ordered GeneralWhorm Loathsom to march on the city before leaving.[69]

Upon returning to the Republic base, Skywalker and Kenobi discovered that Rex and Cody had found Slick to be the traitor. Skywalker questioned why Slick would betray his brothers, and Slick replied that it was the Jedi who kept his brothers enslaved. Cody and Rex, however, said that if he loved his brothers, he wouldn't put them at risk, and Slick was taken away to lockup.[69]

Skywalker and Kenobi managed to fend off the first wave of droids, and sent their shuttle back for reinforcements. A second wave of droids soon advanced, and while Kenobi and Cody drew the droids' attention, Skywalker, Rex and Torrent Company took out the advancing tri-droids. This, along with the Republic's use of heavy cannons, forced Loathsom to retreat.[70]

Anakin's apprentice

"Ahsoka, a very wise Jedi once said, "Nothing happens by accident." It is the will of the Force that you are at my side. I just want to keep you there in one piece."

After the Confederacy's retreat, a shuttle arrived with a young Togruta Jedi named Ahsoka Tano. She had a message from the Jedi Council to get back to Coruscant immediately, and had also been assigned as Skywalker's new Padawan, much to Skywalker's shock and dismay. After unsuccessfully trying to get the message from Yoda, Skywalker went to check on Rex at the lookout post, taking his new Padawan with him.[70]

Unfortunately for the Republic forces, Loathsom had activated an expanding deflector shield with his armies advancing behind it. Skywalker and Tano managed to sneak behind the shield by hiding beneath a box. After Tano bumped into a droideka and alerted retail droids, the two still managed to destroy the shield generator, allowing Republic artillery to finish off the droids. The Separatists on Christophsis surrendered to Kenobi, and Skywalker finally accepted his new Padawan.[70]

Rescuing a Hutt

Skywalker and Tano were reassigned on another vital mission - to rescue Jabba the Hutt's son, Rotta, from the planet Teth. On Teth pursuant of their objective, along with Captain Rex and Torrent Company, Skywalker scaled a high mesa under Separatist fire to reach a clifftop monastery. After destroying the droids in the courtyard, Skywalker and his men secured and searched the monastery for the huttlett. Skywalker and his Padawan found the Huttlet on the detention level. Discovering that Rotta was severely ill, they put the Huttlet in a backpack. After contacting his former master, Skywalker and his men were then attacked by droid reinforcements under Dooku's assassin, Asajj Ventress who kidnapped and had been holding the Huttlet captive. After closing the door, Anakin was convinced by his Padawan to find another way out of the monastery. After R2-D2 found a backdoor landing platform, the pair escaped from Ventress. The two Jedi then took a beat-up spice freighter, the Twilight, and tried to dock on the Spirit of the Republic. However, when its hangar was destroyed by Separatist fire, they were forced to take the Twilight all the way to Tatooine. Fortunately, Rotta was saved from near death by some medicine on board the Twilight.[70]

The Twilight was shot down over Tatooine by two IG-100 MagnaGuards in Rogue-class starfighters and forced to crash-land. The Jedi split up, with Skywalker acting as a decoy for his young apprentice. Dooku, who had been negotiating with Jabba, intercepted Skywalker and sent MagnaGuards to intercept Tano so that they would not reach the Hutt and reveal Dooku's Sith deceptions.[70]

After a fierce duel on the Dune Sea, Skywalker stole Dooku's speeder and flew to Jabba's palace to save Tano from his wrath. While Jabba was pleased to see his son returned, he still ordered both Skywalker and Tano to be executed. Fortunately, the intervention of Senator Amidala, who had found that Dooku had been working with Jabba's uncle Ziro, saved the negotiations. Furious that Dooku had deceived him, Jabba permitted the Republic to use Hutt hyperspace routes into the Outer Rim, and asked the Jedi to bring Dooku to justice for his crimes against the hutts.[70]

Slaves of the Republic

"He was raised as a slave, Ahsoka.[…]Ever since I've known Skywalker, he's struggled to put that part of his life behind him. He must get past it eventually. Perhaps now is the time."

Skywalker, Kenobi and Tano later traveled to Kiros, a Togruta colony world under the control of the Separatists, where they learned that the whole city was full of thermal bombs. While Kenobi, "negotiated" with Commander Xerius Ugg, Skywalker and Tano disabled all the bombs around the city, except the one near Ugg's escape ship. Afterward, they discovered that the entire planet's population had disappeared. Meanwhile, Ugg's computers indicated that he was talking to someone in the Zygerrian system, a system of slave traders.[71]

Skywalker and Kenobi then contacted Yoda, who informed them that according to the Separatists, all of Kiros's inhabitants had been killed. He also told them about the nature of the Zygerrians. Remembering his past as a slave, Skywalker ordered his men to set the course for the Zygerrian system immediately, but Kenobi proposed another plan. In order to get the exact information about slaves, they hid in the remains of the former homeworld of Shi'kar until a Zygerrian slave vessel arrived. Posing as the slave traders, Skywalker, Kenobi, Tano and a group of clones infiltrated it, but because of Skywalker's "aggressive negotiations" a firefight ensued, during which Tano was separated from the rest of the group and captured by the Zygerrians, while Skywalker, Kenobi and the clones along with a group of captured slave traders were sealed from her on the Twilight. Zygerrians tried to smash the Jedi's ship in the asteroids, but Skywalker managed to disable their engines. Tano soon contacted her master and told that it was a part of her plan, but the Zygerrian commander Onyx intercepted her transmission and proposed the Jedi to trade Tano for his people being held on the Twilight. Using the space suits and rocket jets, Skywalker, Kenobi and their men flew into the open space, but were attacked by a creature that Onyx had released. Meanwhile, Tano with the help of the Force opened the rear airlock. Skywalker and Kenobi killed the beast and breached the ship, capturing Onyx, who revealed them that the queen of Zygerria was going to have a grand auction, that would change the slave trade in the galaxy forever.[72]

Soon, posing as slave traders, Skywalker, Kenobi, Tano and CaptainCT-7567—nicknamed "Rex"—infiltrated the auction and tried to rescue the Togrutas[73] However, they ended up being caught by the Zygerrians and becoming slaves themselves.[74]

Skywalker was left in service of Queen Scintel, Tano was imprisoned on Zygerria, and Kenobi and Rex were transferred along with the Togrutas to the Zygerrian Labor Processing Hub on the planet Kadavo. Skywalker and his Padawan, however, escaped from the Zygerrians and headed for Kadavo to rescue Kenobi, CT-7567, and the Togrutas, who had been transferred to the Zygerrian Labor Processing Hub on the planet. Fearing that the liberation of the slaves could prove him a liar—as he had spread word that the Jedi had eradicated Kiros's population—the Confederate leader Count Dooku sent his assassin, Asajj Ventress, alongside General Grievous, to kill everyone at the Kadavo facility.[75]

After both the Republic and the Confederate forces arrived at Kadavo, a battle ensued on and above the planet. While Grievous's fleet battled the Republic Venator-class Star Destroyers, Ventress led a squadron of Hyena-class bombers to destroy the Labor Processing Hub. Hoping that the Separatists would spare him if he killed the Togrutas himself, the facility head—the Keeper—tried to dump the slaves into the lava but was prevented from doing so by Kenobi and CT-7567. Soon, Republic reinforcements arrived, forcing the Confederate fleet to retreat. Ventress, however, chose to continue the fight alone and made a last ditch attempt to kill the Jedi with her starship, the Trident, but was repelled by the Republic V-19 Torrent starfighters. Having won the battle, the Republic returned the people of Kiros back to their home.[76]

The Malevolence Crisis

"Ever since I've known you, you've been playing with droids.""I used to put them together. Now, I only take them apart."

Later, Skywalker and Tano were with their taskforce in the Bith system protecting the staging area there. Skywalker was then contacted by Master Plo Koon who had tracked the Separatist mystery weapon in the Abregado system. Master Koon asked Anakin for reinforcement, but Anakin had to ask the Jedi Council for approval. Skywalker then lost contact with Master Koon. Skywalker and Tano then briefed the council on Master Koon's last known location, but surmised that Koon's fleet was destroyed like the others. Though Skywalker was preparing a rescue mission, the council wanted to reassign his taskforce to protect their supply lines. Despite this Skywalker and his padawan went to rescuePlo Koon, when he got stranded in an escape pod in the Abregado system with a small group of clone troopers. Only Tano's ability to sense Master Koon through the Force kept Skywalker from giving up on him after an unsuccessful search, as well as the fact that she grabbed the controls of the Twilight and began piloting it herself. She found Master Koon and his clones and rescued them. Koon informed them that the "secret weapon" that the Separatists were using was an ion cannon that rendered their ships defenseless. At that point the ship passed by, forcing them to shut down all systems before it could detect them. They, however, forgot to shut off the medical droid, which was detected by the Malevolence, which responded by firing the ion cannon. The Twilight managed to escape the ion wave by jumping into hyperspace, taking knowledge of the Separatist weapon with them.[77]

Shortly after, Skywalker created a plan to utilize Y-wing bombers in a daring attack on the Malevolence, primarily seeking to take out General Grievous and ensure a speedier resolution to the war. The Republic plotted the course of the Separatist super weapon to the Kaliida Shoals Medical Center, and in an attempt to arrive there before it, the strike force made its way through the Balmorra Run; however, the small force had not reckoned on being confronted by Neebray mantas. After barely escaping with their lives, the strike team engaged in battle with the Malevolence, taking several casualties. When it became apparent that the original plan would fail, Tano, acting as her Master's gunner, suggested a change in tactics. With this in mind Master Koon devised a plan that sought to cause the Separatist warship's ion cannons to overload; this tactic proved successful and shortly after destroying the ion cannons, Master Kenobi arrived in system with three Republic ships that began pursuit of the fleeing Malevolence.[78]

Skywalker, Kenobi, Tano and Master Plo Koon began the final attack on the Malevolence when they received an incoming transmission from Amidala and Threepio, who were being pulled onboard the Confederate heavy cruiser via a tractor beam. Skywalker, Kenobi and Artoo piloted the Twilight and entered the superweapon through an airlock. Separating, Skywalker found Amidala and the two went to the ship's bridge, where Skywalker rigged the navicomputer and programmed the ship to crash into a nearby moon. The two then met with Kenobi, Threepio and Artoo, and the five escaped in the Twilight. With the Malevolence destroyed, they returned to the Republic fleet.[79]

Some weeks later, while searching for General Grievous and his fleet, Kenobi and Skywalker were forced to come to the aid of Commander Cody, Captain Rex, and squad of shinies after the clones engaged Separatist forces on the Rishi moon. The Jedi's fleet arrived just in time to force Grievous' ships out of the system, foiling the cyborg's plot to launch a surprise attack on Kamino.[80]

Attack on the Separatist shipyards

The Republic decided to attack the shipyards at Gwori, but the droids had developed a machine where only droids could pass through harmlessly, not to mention a whole blockade of Munificent-class star frigates. Skywalker thus proposed that they freeze themselves in carbonite in order to bypass the Separatist blockade. Once there, Skywalker, his Padawan Ahsoka Tano, and Obi-Wan Kenobi delivered the shipyard coordinates to Jedi Masters Plo Koon and Saesee Tiin.

In order to bypass the Separatist blockade, the two Jedi masters and the Republic bombers had to perform a precision hyperspace jump. In the meantime, Skywalker, Kenobi, Tano, and Rex were captured, but escaped with the help of R2-D2. Once the bombers arrived, the Jedi decided to escape on a Separatist frigate. However, the bombs took out their shields. Moments after Skywalker led the stolen frigate away from the shipyards, Tiin was about to blast it, but Kenobi contacted him and stopped him. Plo Koon then ordered the bombers to strike the construction supports, and once they were done, the shipyards collapsed. Out in space, they were almost killed by the Separatist's radiation beam, until Plo Koon and Saesee Tiin destroyed the beam.

Podracing battle

The Jedi High Council dispatched Jedi MasterKi-Adi-Mundi to investigate a corrupt senator, who recently smuggled a data disk, which contained Republic strategic battle plans. Unbeknownst to the Jedi, the senator pledged his allegiance to Confederate Head of State Count Dooku. Dooku's Dark Acolyte, Asajj Ventress, landed on Coruscant to collect the disk. However, Mundi and his squad of clone troopers attacked Ventress, but after she killed the senator, Ventress escaped to the planet of Mon Gazza. After discussing the matter with Chancellor Palpatine, Mundi and Grand Master Yoda contacted Skywalker and his Padawan, Tano, on Queel to give them their assignment to Mon Gazza.

On Mon Gazza Skywalker, Tano, and Rex went undercover to find the stolen datadisk. The datadisk was stolen by the deceased senator's aide, Messo, who soon was killed by Skywalker. While the disk was not with the aide, the Jedi Knight concluded that the disk was with another Confederate spy on Mon Gazza. The group noticed a Twi'lekpodracer, named Kidd Kareen, won a podrace. Kareen and his closest friend, San Maxus, became Skywalker's suspects. Telling Tano to become friends with Kareen, Skywalker soon began to snoop around Kareen's pit inside a podrace hangar. Soon after, the first Mon Gazza podrace began. Skywalker entered Tano into the race, however she crashed her pod. After Kareen gave the Togruta a spare pod, Skywalker and Rex followed Maxus to a cantina, where they found him contacting Dooku.

The following day, Tano was racing in the Mon Gazza Maze with Kareen and Maxus. Skywalker and Rex watched her progress when they noticed Maxus had the data disk. Maxus soon began to bump into Tano's pod, threatening to kill the revealed Jedi. However, Kareen saved Tano by allowing her to jump onto his pod. Confronting the racers, Ventress jumped onto Maxus's pod and engaged Tano in a duel. Skywalker left Rex to save his Padawan on a speeder bike. Ventress soon grabbed the data disk, though it was soon Force crushed by Skywalker. As Ventress escaped the scene; Skywalker, Tano and Kareen met up with Rex near the hangar. After leaving Kareen, the group departed Mon Gazza. Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi contacted Skywalker via hologram and discussed about Skywalker's successful mission.[81]

Mission to Taloraan

The Republic forces traveled to Kothlis to negotiate with the Bothans, but were confronted by a Confederate fleet upon arrival. After a brief battle, however, the Separatist forces retreated. Jedi Grand Master Yoda, Kenobi, Skywalker and Tano then entered negotiations with the Bothans' first secretary Desark Fey'lya, who thanked the Jedi for their efforts in repelling the Separatist attack. Tano, however, sensed that the secretary had probably invited the Separatists himself and expressed her concerns to the rest of the Jedi. Fey'lya felt insulted by Tano's words and declared that the Bothans and their Spynet would be open to both sides of the conflict.

Denache realized that the Jedi would detect his lies with the Force, so he pretended to became ill and his emissary Sech Govlinder was sent to negotiate in his place. After the first round of negotiations Ahsoka Tano went into the city and accidentally discovered battle droids stocked within a guarded warehouse. Canteval ordered the droids to attack her and the other Jedi, revealing the Confederate presence within the city. Kenobi and Skywalker accused Govlinder of treachery and tried to reach their Nu-class shuttle, but were incapacitated when the shuttle was blown up and taken into custody.

Meanwhile, Ahsoka Tano managed to leave the city of Denfrandi and persuade a tribe of Wind Raiders to join combat against Separatist forces. Govlinder himself felt manipulated by Denache and remained loyal to the Republic. Once he had the chance, he immediately freed both Jedi and returned to them their lightsabers. Afterward he led them to the city's central communication tower, where the Jedi were able to patch a message to their Star Destroyer, Resolute. Without the element of surprise Canteval's Munificent was unable to overpower the Venator on its own. With its shield weakening, the Munificent took several direct hits into its engines and, unable to maintain altitude, was sucked into the gas giant's core.

Meanwhile, the Resolute had sent several LAAT/i with clone reinforcements to help the loyalists regain control of the city. Rynert and his followers tried to hold, but against the combined strength of the Jedi, clone troopers, Denfrandi loyalists and the Wind Raiders they were outmatched and soon defeated. Facing a dead-end, magister Denache committed suicide by stepping off the edge of the city and falling into the care of the gas giant. Temporarily taking the rule of the city, Govlinder continued negotiations with the Jedi and acknowledged the support of the Wind Raiders, who also played a small part in the skirmish.

Battle of JanFathal

Skywalker agreed to let Tano to travel with Rex in a mission to the Leveler, a ship commanded by Gilad Pellaeon. Tano, Rex and a group of clones would go to JanFathal to rescue Hallena Devis. Skywalker rescued the group with a CR-20 troop carrier.

A missing friend

After Republic forces were bested at Falleen, Grievous' fleet headed to attack the Both system. Skywalker and Tano prepared to defend the strategic system. Grievous headed through the asteroid belt, and Skywalker led a fleet of V-19s in his starfighter with R2-D2. As the Separatist fleet started to attack the cruisers, it seemed that the Republic had been beaten, but Skywalker unveiled his "surprise" for Grievous: pre-dispatched All Terrain Tactical Enforcers in the asteroid field. The AT-TEs attacked the Separatist frigates from behind, and the Venator-class cruisers attacked from the front. Beaten, Grievous boarded his fighter and fled the battle. Skywalker pursued him in his starfighter, but flying debris from the disintegrating frigates caused damage to his ship. Fortunately, Rex was able to rescue him, but after recovering he learned that Artoo had gone missing.[82]

With Artoo missing, Skywalker was given a replacement astromech droid, R3-S6, but was convinced that Artoo could never be replaced. In an attempt to find his friend, Skywalker went with Tano onboard the Twilight to search the battlefield. Finding his damaged ship without Artoo, Skywalker then proceeded to dock to a nearby scavenging ship, unaware of the fact that TrandoshanGha Nachkt had already promised the droid to Grievous.[82]

After returning to his cruiser, Skywalker reported to Kenobi that he wasn't able to find Artoo. Kenobi then instructed Skywalker to find the Separatist listening post that was apparently listening in on them, explaining the Separatists' intel on their strategies. Skywalker went to scout ahead with R3, but the astromech activated his starfighter's tracking beacon, alerting Grievous to his position. Skywalker managed to evade an attack by Vulture droids, and Tano and Rex came to his rescue aboard the Twilight. After chastising R3 for nearly getting killed, Skywalker held onto the belief that Artoo was still somewhere out there.[82]

Skywalker and Tano free falling toward Skytop Station

Mission to Skytop Station

After receiving a message from Artoo, Skywalker managed to track his droid to Skytop Station, the listening post they had been looking for. Skywalker sent Tano and the clones to destroy the station while he went to search for Artoo. Skywalker found Artoo being carried away by Grievous's MagnaGuards, and successfully dispatched the droids. Skywalker then went with Artoo to the south hangar to escape with his team, but upon meeting up with Rex and Denal, he discovered that Tano had engaged Grievous alone and sent the two to complete the mission. As the group started to leave the hangar, they were locked in by R3, who revealed himself to be a spy for Grievous. R3 also activated three Vulture droids. Super battle droids appeared, and a fight broke out. After Tano returned, Skywalker reproved her for engaging Grievous alone, and he sent Artoo to find the controls on the outer platform to open the hangar. The group managed to dispatch the rest of the droids, and after Artoo opened the hangar door and also destroyed R3, Skywalker went out in his fighter to retrieve him. After conferring with an exasperated Kenobi, Skywalker told Tano that Artoo was more than a droid: he was a friend.[83]

Capture of Gunray

"I need you to depart for Rodia immediately.""Rodia?""You are to oversee the transfer of Nute Gunray."

Kenobi and Skywalker managed to track Dooku aboard a Separatist frigate, and Skywalker devised a plan to get onboard. Once onboard, he allowed himself to be captured[86], and Kenobi came aboard to rescue him. After freeing Skywalker, the two Jedi confronted Dooku as the Resolute attacked the frigate, but Dooku managed to escape in his solar sailer, and the Jedi gave pursuit. Unfortunately, both ships sustained damage and crash-landed on Vanqor. Dooku trapped the two Jedi in a cave and stole Skywalker's lightsaber, but as he was taken to nearby Florrum by pirates, he was captured himself. After confronting a Gundark and poison gas, Kenobi and Skywalker were rescued by Tano, who was not pleased to find that her master had let Dooku escape.[87]

Hondo Ohnaka contacted the Republic, seeking to turn over Dooku for one million credits. Skywalker and Kenobi were sent to Florrum to confirm that Dooku was in the captivity of the pirates,[87] but after reporting back, they were captured themselves[88], discovering that the pirates were seeking to triple their pay. The two Jedi were forced to strike an uneasy alliance with Dooku to escape from the stronghold, but after multiple attempts the two Jedi were tortured. Fortunately, Jar Jar Binks, sent with Senator Kharrus to deliver the ransom, accidentally destroyed the power lines, and Skywalker and Kenobi managed to escape. The two retrieved their lightsabers, but left on even terms with Ohnaka. Dooku, however, had managed to escape separately.[89]

Battle of Quell

When Jedi GeneralAayla Secura was attacked by the Separatists, the Resolute was sent to help her. Arriving above Quell, Skywalker and Tano went on gunships to land on the cruiser, but Skywalker used a rocket droid to land on the cruiser. Skywalker called a frigate for an evacuation of the cruiser, and met up with Secura and Bly with Tano. However, increasing Separatist fire caused a raging inferno to run through the cruiser, and Skywalker sacrificed himself to save the others, severely injuring himself in the process. Secura and Tano managed to get him onboard the frigate, but as they prepared to dock with the Resolute to give Skywalker medical attention, an assault by several Vulture droids caused the hyperdrive to accidentally activate, and they were forced to detach from the cruiser.[90]

Tano piloted the frigate to narrowly avoid hitting a star, but the ship was forced to crash-land on the remote world of Maridun. Leaving Rex to watch over Skywalker, Secura, Tano and the rest of the clones went in search of the planet's inhabitants for medical support for Skywalker. Rex was attacked by a Mastiff phalone, but managed to fend it off. Just as a second group of the creatures attacked Skywalker and Rex, Tano arrived with Bly and Wag Too, who was a healer belonging to the pacifist Lurmen colony. They managed to fend off the creatures and brought Skywalker to the Lurmen village.[90]

Skywalker, Tano, Secura, Rex and Bly defend the Lurmen village on Maridun.

Battle of Maridun

"Ahsoka…Stop. If the Lurmen want to remain neutral, we won't force them into war."

When Separatists arrived on Maridun, Tee Watt Kaa, leader of the Lurmen, accused the Jedi of bringing the war to their planet. Skywalker, Tano, Rex and Bly left the village so that the Lurmen would not pay the consequence of their presence. After discovering that the Separatists were planning on testing a new weapon on the Lurmen, the group took a shuttle back to the Lurmen village to defend them. The group set up shields and managed to survive a blast from the weapon, as well as the first wave of droids. However, the second wave of droids managed to penetrate the shield and destroyed it. As the Separatists prepared to use the Defoliator again, Skywalker arrived and managed to destroy it, along with capturing GeneralLok Durd. As the Jedi prepared to leave, a fleet of three Venator-class cruisers arrived on the planet: Admiral Yularen was apparently able to find them on his own.[91]

Battle on Orto Plutonia

After losing contact with a Republic base on Orto Plutonia, Kenobi and Skywalker were sent to investigate with a squad of cold assault troopers under the command of Clone trooper Captain Rex. Arriving on the severely cold planet, the Jedi discovered that the planet was inhabited by Talz, contrary to previous belief. However, ChairmanChi Cho of the nearby moon of Pantora was insulted by the Talz occupancy of the planet, and declared war, despite the Jedi's efforts to bring forth peace. However, Senator Riyo Chuchi convened with the Pantoran Assembly and called Cho out of order, and she was able to bring forth peace between the two worlds at the cost of the Cho's life.[92]

Skywalker comes to the aid of Amidala after she is electrocuted.

Blue Shadow Virus scare

―Kenobi and Skywalker, as they prepare to attack Vindi's laboratory[src]

Kenobi, Skywalker and Tano arrived on Naboo when there was evidence of a secret Separatist lab there. When Skywalker learned that Amidala had left without waiting for them, he immediately became worried and sent Tano to find them. Captain Typho reported that they had lost contact with her and Binks, but they had discovered that Separatist-allied Dr.Nuvo Vindi was planning on releasing the Blue Shadow Virus back into the galaxy. He noted that Amidala had managed to transmit the coordinates of the secret lab before contact was lost. When Tano reported back, Kenobi instructed her to lead an attack on the south entrance, while Skywalker and Kenobi plan to enter the lab through the hatches. Kenobi attempted to convince Skywalker to not risk the mission just to save her, and Skywalker replied that he "knew what was at stake".[93]

Arriving over the lab, the gunships dropped bombs over the hatches, and Skywalker entered the lab with his squad. He found that Tano's distraction was working, and proceeded to break into the main room. Vindi started to electrocute Amidala and Binks, and forced the group to lay down their weapons to save them. Skywalker complied without hesitation. Vindi gave Skywalker a choice: capture him or save his friends, and turned the electrocution back on and escaped. Skywalker retrieved his lightsaber, but instead of going after Vindi, he proceeded to free Amidala and Binks. Vindi activated the virus bombs, and Skywalker and Kenobi found him escaping in the landing bay. Vindi threw down virus capsules, forcing Kenobi to stop attacking and retrieve them. However, with some help from Peppi Bow, Skywalker succeeded in stopping the mad doctor.[93]

Mission to Iego

"The virus is liberated. You are doomed, young Jedi, along with the rest of the planet."

―Vindi to Skywalker and Kenobi as the Blue Shadow Virus is released[src]

Skywalker and Kenobi prepared to escort Nuvo Vindi to Theed for trial, but far down below, an alarm began to sound. Skywalker contacted Tano and found that Vindi's servant droid LEP-86C8 had succeeded in liberating the Blue Shadow Virus, and he contacted Amidala to make sure she was all right. Amidala stated that she would stop any remaining droids from escaping and setting the virus free, and Skywalker told her to be careful. Skywalker forcefully interrogated Vindi for the antidote, but Vindi taunted him. Kenobi convinced Skywalker that the quickest way to save his friends was to go back to Theed and find an actual cure, and Skywalker crossly complied.[94]

Arriving back at Theed, Skywalker and Kenobi handed Vindi over, and Typho informed Kenobi and Skywalker that he had found a possible cure: Reeksa root, found only on Iego. He mentioned that would be suicide trying to go there. Skywalker, however, decided to go there anyway, and he and Kenobi boarded the Twilight. Upon arriving on Iego, they passed through a graveyard of ships in Iego's orbit, and when they landed they were greeted by strangely disfigured droids. Skywalker proceeded to eliminate them, but Kenobi alerted him to the fact that they weren't attempting to defend themselves. They met Jaybo Hood, who reprogrammed the droids once the Separatists left the planet, and told them that "Drol", the phantom ruler of Iego, was preventing the inhabitants from leaving the planet.[94]

Skywalker and Kenobi obtained the root after being attacked by the plant itself, but as they tried to leave the planet, a laser web activated, and Kenobi concluded that the Separatists planted it when they left. After learning that the Separatists had stolen Millius Prime, home to the Angels, when they attacked, Skywalker concluded that it must be where the laser emitter was. Jaybo gave R2-D2 remote control of four Vulture droids, and Artoo attempted to fly them into the laser emitter, but all were destroyed. Kenobi then managed to shoot the generator, destroying the laser field and liberating the inhabitants of Iego. Skywalker and Kenobi then returned to Naboo, where they arrived in time to save their friends.[94]

Battle of Ryloth

Battle over the planet

After Techno UnionForemanWat Tambor seized control of the planet Ryloth and its inhabitants, the Jedi Council devised a plan to invade and liberate the planet, and dispatched Skywalker and Tano to destroy the Separatist blockade and clear the way for the invasion forces to land. The Resolute arrived out of hyperspace over Ryloth, along with the Defender and Redeemer, just in front of the blockade. Tano led a squadron for the first time, leading Blue Squadron, and managed to cut away through the advancing Vulture droids. However, after Separatist reinforcements arrived out of hyperspace, Admiral Yularen and Skywalker ordered Tano back to the Resolute, but she disobeyed, thinking that she could still complete her mission. The Vulture droids began suicidal runs on the Resolute, and one droid hit its bridge, severely injuring Admiral Yularen. Tano finally returned to the Resolute, but lost half her battle group along the way. The Resolute and Defender retreated to hyperspace, but the Redeemer was too damaged to follow.[95]

Skywalker tries to bolster Tano's confidence.

After ordering a head count to find how many men they lost, Skywalker reprimanded his Padawan for disobeying a direct order. She argued that he himself disobeyed orders all the time, but took full responsibility for her actions, if rather severely. Skywalker attempted to console her, stating that loss was the reality of command, before leaving to give a report on their progress to GeneralsMace Windu and Obi-Wan Kenobi. After he reported their losses, Kenobi recommended that Skywalker give his Padawan some time to recover, but stated that he would need her to complete his mission. Despite only half his forces remaining, Skywalker was given one planetary rotation to destroy the blockade. He sent Rex to find Tano, and she met him while he was repairing her starfighter with the help of R2-D2. After stating that they had to finish their mission without reinforcements, Tano started to panic and questioned his readiness. Skywalker ordered her back to her quarters to "cool off."[95]

Later, Tano joined him in the hangar bay of the Resolute and discovered that he had devised a plan to pilot the Defender alone and destroy the lead battleship to take out the commander and thereby leave only outmaneuverable droids in command of the blockade. Tano attempted to change his mind, but he left for the Defender with R2-D2, leaving her in charge of the Resolute, and responsible for both his life and destroying the rest of the blockade. After arriving out of hyperspace, Skywalker proceeded to contact the commander of the lead ship, Captain Mar Tuuk, who had already learned much about him from the archives. Skywalker stated that he had been ordered to surrender himself, his crew and his vessel in exchange for safe passage to deliver supplies to Ryloth. However, a scan of the Defender revealed his deception to Tuuk, and Skywalker proceeded to gun the engines of the Defender and head it straight for the ship. Tuuk fled the battlefield, and the Resolute arrived out of hyperspace. Tano's plan to angle the hull of the Resolute toward the blockade to act as a screen so that the fighters could launch went off without a hitch, and Tano led a team of fighters on a successful attack on the blockade. The invasion force arrived out of hyperspace with Generals Kenobi and Windu aboard, and Tano dispatched a shuttle to retrieve her master.[95]

Retaking the capital city

After Kenobi and his men were able to take out the proton cannons and allow the transports to land,[96] Windu headed for the capital with his forces. During a holographic conference with Palpatine, Yoda, Admiral Yularen, Senator Orn Free Taa and Windu, Skywalker reported that his forces had secured the space around Ryloth, and that the Separatist cruisers were on the run. However, Wat Tambor soon deployed Hyena-class bombers to destroy the nearby villages and Skywalker engaged them in his fighter, accompanied by Tano. Tambor's tactical droid TA-175 and his shuttle left without him, but Count Dooku still ordered the bombers to destroy Lessu, despite the fact that Tambor was still there. However, before the bombers could destroy the Republic forces and the Twi'lek inhabitants, Skywalker and Tano shot them down. Tambor was captured, and the Republic was victorious: Ryloth was finally free once more.[97]

Following the liberation of Lessu, Skywalker and Tano were left in command of the operations against the remaining Confederate holdouts on the planet. The two Jedi led their 501st Legion clone troopers through the ruined city of Resdin, gradually clearing out the droid forces that were encamped there. During the conflict, Captain Rex and Clone SergeantBoomer were captured by the bounty hunterCad Bane, who was on the run after stealing the Gravitic Core, a part of Separatist scientistKul Teska's newly developed superweapon. The clones were eventually rescued by Skywalker and Tano, but while trying to escape from Resdin, they and Bane were attacked by Teska himself, who planned to steal the Gravitic Core from them. When the Skakoan attempted to seize the Core with a grappling hook, Skywalker used the Force to throw it into Bane's ship.[98]

Tano pinned Bane beneath a metal slab, preventing him from running off with his ship. An enraged Teska engaged the Jedi, charging at them using the enhanced abilities of his modified pressure suit and firing volleys of missiles from launchers mounted on his back. After Skywalker repeatedly used the Force to redirect his missiles back at him, Teska encased the two Jedi within an energy bubble, incapacitating them. However, before Teska could escape in Bane's ship, Rex and Boomer arrived and confronted Teska until the Skakoan was eventually forced to issue and ultimatum: either save their Jedi commanders or kill Teska. As the energy bubble began to close in on Skywalker and Tano, the clones decided to chose to rescue the Jedi. While the clones deactivated the bubble, Teska boarded The Sleight of Hand and escaped with his weapon. Cad Bane also escaped, fleeing Ryloth and the Republic forces.[98]

Skywalker and Tano contacted Jedi Grand Master Yoda and Generals Windu, Kenobi, Plo Koon, and Kit Fisto on Juma 9. The group was joined by the Jedi Aayla Secura and Luminara Unduli, who had encountered Separatist forces on the world of Alzoc III, where Bane had stolen the Core from Teska. During the holographic transmission, the Jedi received a distress signal from Senator Padmé Amidala of Naboo, who was investigating Confederate activity on Behpour, a planet in the Naboo system. Amidala reported that she had been spotted before her connection was severed. The Jedi prepared to lay siege to Teska's facility on Behpour, from which the Skakoan had harnessed his gravitic beam to collapse the Naboo sun, with the objective of rescuing the Senator and destroying the Confederate superweapon.[98]

Battle of Behpour

CommanderCody and Captain Rex created a diversion while Skywalker and Kenobi snuck into the droid facility and destroyed the shield generator, allowing the main body of troops, commanded by Windu and Tano, to destroy the main building. Inside, Skywalker and Tano faced Teska, while Rex, Cody, and Ponds brought the Twilight to the rendezvous point while trying to escape Dooku, who was trying to impeded their advance. By the time Masters Kenobi and Windu arrived, the Count was already close to destroying the freighter. After a short duel, Windu and Kenobi defeated Dooku, while the clones escaped. Before they could capture him, however, Dark Acolyte Asajj Ventress appeared and took her injured master to a hidden Sheathipede-class transport shuttle, in which they escaped. Meanwhile, Skywalker and his Padawan had already diffused the bomb, defeated Teska and saved the Senator. In the end, the Jedi escaped with the Senator Amidala, leaving Teska and his experiments to die in the burning wreckage of the laboratory.[98]

Felucia

Skywalker, Tano, Kenobi and Master Plo Koon were sent to counter General Grievous's attack on Felucia. The Republic forces engaged the Confederate Navy above the planet and began to break-up their advancement; however, waves of Vulture droids caused problems for the Republic group. Few clone trooper transports made it to the planet surface to aid Generals Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. As battle droids continued to fire on the struggling clone troopers, General Koon cleared the skies of Vulture droids, inside his starfighter. Meanwhile, a Vulture droid fragment fell from the sky and landed on one of the Republic's AT-TE walkers. Seeing that the Republic forces had lost much of its reinforcements, Kenobi signaled for an immediate retreat; however, both Kenobi and Skywalker noticed that Tano has been missing. Contacting her through his comlink, Tano revealed that she has engaged another group of battle droids. The Jedi Master told her that the Republic forces are retreating and she needed to return, although the Togruta Padawan denied and told him that she has broke through the Separatists' defense. However, Skywalker and Kenobi landed their LAAT/i gunships infront of Tano's Juggernaut Turbo Tank, which caused her to shout at Skywalker in dismay. After Skywalker forced her to enter his gunship, she complied and entered it. As the Republic forces—onboard the LAAT/i gunships—lifted above the ground, the forces within them witnessed the destruction of Tano's Turbo Tank and its reinforcements.

The stolen holocron

After leaving Felucia, the Republic forces returned to Coruscant. Inside the Jedi Temple council chamber, Skywalker and Tano stood before Jedi Masters Mace Windu and Yoda. Kenobi had given the Council information on what the Padawan had done on Felucia. After, Windu informed the Padawan if she agrees with Kenobi's claims. Tano agreed, and told the Jedi Master that she is regretful of her actions and only was "caught in the moment." Skywalker defended his Padawan by taking the blame; however, Windu dismissed his claim. The Jedi Master then announced that Tano would take time off from the battlefield and become a Jedi Archives guard, under the assistance of Jedi librarianJocasta Nu. Skywalker and Tano soon left the council chamber and headed for the Archives room. Along the way, Tano reflected on her actions and apologized to her master; however, Skywalker told her that he was once a struggling Jedi Padawan not too long ago. The Jedi Knight soon greeted Nu, who was near her desk outside the main Archives hall. Skywalker introduced Tano to Nu, and told the Jedi Librarian that Tano was to be her new guard officer.

Later, Cad Bane would sneak in the Jedi Temple to steal a holocron. Skywalker, Tano and Kenobi captured Bane's ally, Cato Parasitti. However, Bane managed to escape. Windu told the Jedi that Bane wanted the Kyber memory crystal which could only be read by holocrons and contained information about every known Force-sensitive child in the galaxy, the future of the Jedi Order. Windu also told them that Jedi Master Bolla Ropal was the keeper of the crystal. Skywalker and Tano would then go to the Devaron system to capture Bane.

Holocron chase

"I… don't have the holocron memory and… I seem to have misplaced my Padawan."

Skywalker and Tano attacked Cad Bane's fleet over Devaron. After disabling his ship, Skywalker, Tano, Artoo and a team of clone troopers entered Bane's ship using AT-TE walkers. The Republic team then entered the bridge and destroyed its crew. However, Bane had escaped through a chute. After clearing the main bridge, the Jedi found a hologram recording of Bane's conversation with Gunray, which confirmed that he was in possession of the kyber crystal. To prevent Bane from escaping the ship, Rex and his squad destroyed the ship's supply of escape pods. Admiral Yularen witnessed an explosion in the ship's aft section, but Skywalker still pressed on to find Ropal.

The Jedi and clones searched the ship for Ropal, and Tano found his body in a prison cell. Skywalker ordered a few clones to bring Ropal's body to the Resolute. They had no other options than to find Bane and retrieve the crystal. Bane had deactivated the ship's lights using his wrist-com, and so the clones were forced to use night vision.
Bane was spotted, and the Jedi pursued. He led them to the ship's gunnery deck, where he reactivated the lights to reveal an army of droids awaiting. The droids opened fire, and in the midst of the firefight, Bane used his wrist-com to deactivate the ship's artificial gravity wells, turning the ship into a zero gravity environment. The clones were trained for this type of situation, and were equipped with magnetic boots, as were the droids. To make matters worse, the gunnery deck was full of ammunition canisters, which meant stray fire could cause the entire gunnery deck to explode.

Skywalker and Tano before the Jedi Council on Coruscant.

Bane and Skywalker fought. Skywalker kicked Bane in the face, which caused him to float away in a spinning motion, causing the holocron to fall out of Bane's duster. Just as Skywalker was about to grab it, R2-D2 reactivated the gravity, sending him, Bane, and the holocron falling to the floor. As Skywalker was dazed, Bane snatched the holocron and fled. Skywalker pursued, but Bane distracted him by causing a clone attached to the ceiling with his magnetized boots to fall. While Skywalker was distracted saving the clone, Tano gave chase. Bane used his wrist-com to close the blast door, separating Tano from her master. When Skywalker attempted to cut through the door, a droid accidentally shot an ammo canister, causing the ceiling to collapse, trapping Skywalker in the rubble.

As Bane reached a dead end in the hallway, he took a shot at Tano, which she easily deflected back to his left arm. Bane managed to disarm Tano, but she still managed to flip the bounty hunter onto the floor. She thought she had beaten him, but the bounty hunter grabbed her ankle and delivered a massive stun charge through her body, incapacitating her.
Skywalker sensed this, and in his rage broke through the rubble that surrounded him. When he received the order from Admiral Yularen to abandon the mission because the ship was about to explode, he in turn ordered Yularen to move the Resolute a safe distance from the ship and moved on to save his Padawan.

Skywalker found Tano trapped in an energy field, right in front of an airlock. Bane threatened to open the airlock unless Skywalker opened the holocron. Skywalker accepted and dropped his lightsaber. He then opened the holocron. But then, Skywalker grabbed his lightsaber and Tano's and attacked Bane. However, Bane opened the airlock and escaped. Skywalker rescued Tano and the two went to the hangar. The team would later return to the Resolute. Although Bane was presumed dead, Skywalker still felt his presence.[99]

Rescuing the children

Skywalker and Tano returned from their failed mission to recapture the holocron captured by Cad Bane whom they believed to be dead land on the Resolute orbiting the Devaron System. Tano followed the clone trooper who supposedly killed Cad Bane constantly asking questions with no answers from the clone. Skywalker, in the meantime, investigated green Duros blood residing inside the ship and was alerted to the danger. He warned Tano, but it was too late. She was kneed in the midsection by Cad Bane disguised as the clone trooper, who ran to another ship to get away. Anakin attempted to stop him by jumping onto the ship, but Bane moved the ship and Anakin fell off. Anakin then helplessly contacted Admiral Yularen and told him to deactivate the hyperspace rings, but he, too, was too late, and Cad Bane escaped.

Back on Coruscant, Skywalker and Tano reported to the Jedi Council of the unfortunate turn of events. With Bane having access to all Force-sensitive children in the holocron and that the information was in Separatist hands, it could be disastrous for the Order. Their only hope was to search through the Force to watch for any kidnappings.

Yoda, Kenobi, Mace Windu and Skywalker meditated, trying to detect any children through the Force, as many were being overshadowed by the dark side. Skywalker and Tano then headed to Naboo to secure a Gungan child.

They arrived on Naboo and secured the child, Roo-Roo Page. Bane was captured later that night, but refused to reveal the locations of the other captured children, and his ship's navigation logs had been wiped. Therefore, Skywalker, Windu and Kenobi simultaneously used the Force to make him talk, with the risk of destroying his mind. The experience was hard on Bane and he cooperated.

With Bane as their guide, Kenobi and Windu prepared to go find the children. Windu pointed out that they had to report to the Chancellor about this, but Kenobi insisted that this is a Jedi affair; Skywalker advocated contacting Palpatine.

On Coruscant, Skywalker reported to Palpatine about the plot. He expressed his belief that Dooku wasn't behind it, but he didn't know who was. Palpatine told him to have patience.

Back on the Resolute, Skywalker and Tano checked Bane's fighter for any clues. Tano found volcanic ash on its hull, while Skywalker looked through its fueling log, determining that Bane had dropped his hostages on Mustafar. They then headed out in the Twilight. However, the facility was set to sink in the lava as Master-Padawan team entered it, drawn by Wee's cries. The droids inside used the children as shields when fighting the Jedi, while the facility tore itself apart. Nonetheless, the Jedi managed to snatch the children away from the droids and escape before the entire facility fell into the lava.

When they returned to Coruscant, Skywalker admitted to the Council that they were unable to find out who was behind the kidnappings, and the Jedi Masters revealed to Skywalker and Tano that Bane had escaped.[100]

While on a mission to check up on a medical station above Felucia, Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Ahsoka Tano were attacked by Separatist droid starfighters, which obliterated their ship and forced them to evacuate and crash-land into the planet below. Although all three Jedi survived the crash with minimal injuries, they were left with no means of escaping Felucia or getting into contact with a Republic-allied planet. Stumbling into a seemingly abandoned Felucian village, Skywalker, Kenobi, and Tano split up, hoping to find some inhabitants or some means of escape. They were soon able to find a starship sitting in a hangar and, when they finally discovered the hiding place of the villagers, were challenged by a squad of bounty hunters led by Sugi. When it became apparent that the Jedi could help the bounty hunters defend the village against another group of marauders, Kenobi initially disagreed, citing the fact that if any of the opposition were able to catch a glimpse of the Jedi and had communication off-world, Separatist forces could be brought down onto the planet. That worry is immediately compounded when the Jedi come face-to-face with the marauding leader: none other than their old captor, Hondo Ohnaka. With the realization that Ohnaka could turn them over at any moment, Kenobi agrees to let the Jedi help. Skywalker, along with the enigmatic Embo, worked on training the villagers for combat. When Ohnaka finally rallied his forces to attack the village, Skywalker led the defenses, utilizing the Force to leap atop a cliffside and engage Ohnaka and his Kowakian monkey-lizardPilf Mukmuk himself. Despite besting Ohnaka in combat, Skywalker offered the pirate a helping hand when the Weequay found himself dangling treacherously off a cliff. Once on sturdy ground again, Ohnaka pushed Skywalker into the trajectory of his Mukmuk-controlled cannon, forcing Skywalker to jump to safety and allow Ohnaka and his monkey-lizard to make a clean escape with his surviving pirates. As an offer of thanks, Sugi offered to transport the Jedi off of Felucia.[101]

The Zillo Beast

Anakin Skywalker escapes the zillo beast on R2-D2

Later in the war, Skywalker oversaw the Battle of Malastare with Mace Windu, supervising the drop of the Republic's new electro-proton bomb to destroy the droid armies. Unbeknownst to either Jedi, the bomb awoke a creature thought to be long dead, the Zillo Beast. When Windu, venturing into the bomb-created pit to examine things himself, found the beast altogether overwhelming, he contacted Skywalker, who abandoned his talks with DogeNakha Urus to pilot his starfighter into the fray with R2-D2. Despite his extraordinary piloting skills, Skywalker soon found himself swatted aside by the beast, narrowly escaping being crushed altogether by the creature's large hand. While defending himself against the zillo beast, Skywalker made the important discovery that the beast's scales were impervious to lightsabers. Using R2-D2 to fly him up and out of the pit, he later led the conference with Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, acting as a middleman between Urus, who wanted to destroy the beast immediately, and Windu, who adamantly supported the Jedi belief that all life-forms should be preserved whenever possible. Although Skywalker suggested that the beast should be subdued and transferred to a planet in the Outer Rim, Urus ridiculed the idea, stating that zillo beasts had been the enemies of the Dugs for centuries and that it was their sworn duty to destroy it. When Dr. Sionver Boll proposed that the beast's scales might be used as a new technology for armor, Palpatine ordered that intense stun rays be used to render the beast comatose, fooling the Dugs into believing it dead and transporting it off-world for further examination. Although a fierce argument broke out between Windu and Urus, the matter was decided when Urus' method of pouring toxins into the pit caused the beast to climb up out of it, forcing the Jedi to use their stun rays to incapacitate it and, under Palpatine's orders, transport it to Coruscant.[102] Dismayed with the resulting inhumane experiments performed on the beast, Windu informed Obi-Wan Kenobi of the matter, who in turn persuaded Skywalker's wife Padmé Amidala to convince him to take the matter to Palpatine. While meeting with the Supreme Chancellor, the enraged zillo beast escaped its confinements, intent on pursuing a vendetta after overhearing Palpatine order its termination in the name of winning the war and science. After Amidala spotted the beast making its way towards the Senate buildings, Palpatine ordered the evacuation of his office, taking Skywalker, Amidala, and the droids C-3PO and R2-D2 down to his private shuttle, where they were snatched out of the air soon after take-off by the zillo beast's massive claws. Skywalker was able to slice the shuttle in half using his lightsaber, allowing a hatch for the occupants to escape onto the Senate building's roof. Skywalker saved Amidala from falling off of the sloped building using the Force, and with the help of Yoda and Aayla Secura protected the escape group from fatal toxin bombs that eventually led to the beast's demise.[103]

Spy in the Galactic Senate

Skywalker discreetly returned to Coruscant to his wife Padmé's apartment, and they prepared for a long-awaited romantic evening together, when Skywalker was signaled by the Council to return to the Temple, forcing him to cut his evening short. He told Amidala that duty comes first, especially in times of war.

Before the Council, he was told that they needed a spy in the Senate to spy on Senator Rush Clovis, who was suspected of being a Separatist supporter. However, they couldn't afford to have Jedi taking official action in this, thus they needed to convince Amidala to join their cause, as she was close to Clovis. Though Skywalker did not believe that she would be right for the job, the Masters insisted on him appointing her, because she trusted him; Yoda had attempted to enlist her but was rebuffed.

Skywalker disguised as Amidala's pilot

The next day, at the Senate, Skywalker located his wife, who was obviously resentful of him leaving her the previous night. He asked her about Clovis, and she said she already told Yoda she didn't want to spy on him, as he was a colleague and an old friend. She thought Skywalker was trying to persuade her into doing this mission, but he was merely gathering information for whomever else would end up doing it. However, when Amidala learned that Clovis was collaborating with the Separatists, she immediately agreed to do it. Skywalker tried to convince her not to, considering that it may be dangerous, but she reminded him that duty comes first.

They both went before the Jedi Council, where Amidala admitted that she hadn't seen Clovis for a long time. They were close in the past, but she wanted to maintain a professional relationship, which he took very hard. The Masters encouraged her to regain his trust in finding out his treachery.

Amidala and Clovis met at a bar, where he explained that he was planning on going to Cato Neimoidia to negotiate with the Trade Federation; he offered her to come along, for political and personal reasons. As they were preparing to depart, Skywalker, being the pilot for Amidala's ship, became jealous when Clovis kissed her on both cheeks. He assisted them with getting seated on the ship, preparing a seat for Amidala, and breaking the one next to it, so that it couldn't get fastened. On takeoff, he jerked the ship around to prevent Clovis from kissing Amidala again.

As soon as they arrived on Cato Neimoidia, they were greeted by Neimoidian Senator Lott Dod. Amidala was shown to her quarters, while Dod and Clovis discussed "business" with Poggle the Lesser. Dod and Poggle realized that Amidala was Clovis' weakness and planned on poisoning her to force him to cooperate.

While Skywalker and R2-D2 waited outside for Amidala's signal, she got into an elegant dress for dinner with the other Senators. Dod tricked her into sharing his drink after smearing the rim with poison. Once dinner was finished, Clovis took Amidala on a tour of the palace, both unaware of the symptoms of the poison, including thirst and head throbbing. While Clovis went to fetch a drink, Amidala attempted to access the palace's files, but was barred by the computer's demand for a passcode. She soon figured out that it is her name, and saw the diagram from Dooku's new droid foundry. She then signaled Skywalker, who snuck into her quarters. As soon as she took the disc plans, she hid them from Clovis, who had entered the room. When he asked to hold her hand, she spontaneously embraced him to hide the disc. She noticed Skywalker in the shadows, his face bursting with anger and jealousy, but she calmed him down by brandishing the disc. She discreetly gave it to him, but as he slipped away, Amidala passed out. Clovis reported this to Dod, but was informed that Amidala was a spy. At first he refused to believe it, but was convinced when he found the disc missing. He angrily confronted her for betraying him, but then Skywalker entered, demanding that he step away from her. Clovis ultimately offered to get the antidote in exchange for the disc, but Skywalker threatened him with dealing with Dod instead. If Dod were told that Clovis lost the disc, he would kill him. Clovis realized that he loved Amidala enough to save her, and agreed to help them back to the ship before Dod found anything out.

As they carried her back to the ship, they ran into Dod and his aides. Clovis attempted to bluff his way out, but Dod refused to let them leave, so Clovis pulled out a blaster. Dod was forced to give up the antidote, and the three ran away. However, Skywalker purposely left Clovis on the planet, as he himself injected Amidala with the antidote.[104]

Second Battle of Geonosis

Returning to the galactic capital of Coruscant, Skywalker and Amidala reported their findings to the Jedi Council. Afterward, GeneralsPlo Koon and Skywalker and the latter's Padawan, CommanderAhsoka Tano, were assigned to reinforce the planet Dorin, which had been attacked by a Separatist fleet led by Confederate General Grievous in an effort to keep the Jedi's attention away from Geonosis. The Republic defeated the Separatists, with Tano achieving 55 kills, while Skywalker achieved 76.[105]

They joined together with the Republic fleet in orbit of Geonosis and prepared strategically for the attack on Poggle's droid foundries on the planet. High Jedi Generals Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ki-Adi-Mundi with Jedi General Skywalker would lead the Grand Army's attack on the primary droid foundry.

When the Republic's capital ships descended upon Geonosis, Skywalker's assault force—including Captain Rex and Commander Tano—departed after Kenobi's. Skywalker's gunship was one of the first to be shot down, but the Jedi's team managed to break free from the wreckage and used the fallen craft as cover from the nearby Geonosian gunners and blaster cannons.

Left on their own, Skywalker, Tano, Rex, and their men traveled on foot to reach the enemy cannons. They arrived at the massive gun emplacement fortress and were forced to take cover from the assailing B1 battle droids and B2 super battle droids high above. With the large amounts of laser barrages from above, Skywalker and Tano each took a backpack filled with thermal detonators and ran toward the adjacent cliff, using grappling hooks to scale the face in order to set their charges to topple the wall. Captain Rex joined the two Jedi on the top of the barrier, helping them to defeat a pair droidekas that were soon deployed from hatches. After Skywalker and Tano had tossed their primed detonator-filled backpacks into the hatches, they and Rex jumped off the wall shortly before it exploded. The Jedi used the Force to slow their fall and hold back the rubble. With the wall destroyed, Skywalker, Tano, and their forces pressed toward Kenobi's position.

Skywalker and Mundi lead their forces.

Joining forces with Mundi, Skywalker contacted Admiral Yularen to request air support. Having reallocated resources since Commander Jet's previous request, Yularen dispatched a free Y-wing squadron to the rendezvous point, where Kenobi and Cody's forces were suffering numerous casualties at the hands of the Geonosians initiating flying attacks from the sky and attack runs on the ground. As the Jedi Master prepared to take up arms alongside his men in what he believed would be a final stand against the Geonosians, the Y-wing bombers arrived, dropping their munitions on the advancing Separatist tanks. With the rest of his troops pressing on, Kenobi was greeted by the arrival of Skywalker, Tano, Mundi, and the rest of the forces.

The Jedi and their clone officers convened on the task still at hand: the destruction of the shield generator. Skywalker would lead a small squad into the shield and jam the Geonosians' scanners, rendering them unable to target the incoming AT-TE walkers. Once the walkers had taken out the shield, Mundi would then bring the rest of the troops in with the gunships. After all of the Republic forces were in position, Skywalker and Tano initiated their attack and charged through the shield with their men. Exchanging fire with the Geonosians, the Jedi and troopers took cover and threw EMP grenades at the proton and LR1K cannons, temporarily disabling the Separatist guns. Unopposed by heavy fire, the AT-TE walkers marched through the shield and blasted the artillery stations and shield generator. As the shield was deactivated, Mundi and his gunships landed with additional reinforcements, and all of the Geonosians in the area were forced to surrender.

While they were recuperating, Skywalker and Tano tallied their kills: Skywalker got 55 and Tano got 60. However, Skywalker said that since he called in the air strike, it was a tie. The injured Generals Kenobi and Mundi were being taken to the gunships with Skywalker's expectations to see both of them back in action by the time the main droid foundry had been destroyed. Mundi then stated that his kills were 65, asking what he won. Skywalker answered "My everlasting respect", to which Kenobi explained that respect was a rare gift for Skywalker to bestow.[106]

Skywalker finishing Tano's sentences during her briefing.

Skywalker's forces combined with Ki-Adi-Mundi's remaining troops and formed a staging area across from Poggle the Lesser's primary foundry, which was nearing completion.[107] The Republic's forces were separated from the foundry by a thin bridge that spanned a deep canyon. In anticipation of stiff resistance from the foundry's defenders, Skywalker called in reinforcements from General Luminara Unduli and her Padawan, Barriss Offee. While Tano was briefing her clone squad on the battle plan, Skywalker kept finishing her sentences. Once the briefing was over, she demanded of him why he was interrupting her, which made her believe he didn't trust her. Skywalker defended himself by saying that he just wanted to get the job done right, but this only strengthened Tano's irritation. They were arguing just as Unduli and Offee arrived to discuss the plan of attack. Although General Skywalker had been preparing for a direct assault via the bridge, General Unduli offered an alternative: the infiltration of the catacombs that ran beneath the foundry. By using these complex passageways, the Jedi could reach the foundry's control room and plant explosives on the main reactor, destroying the facility from within. It was decided that the mission to destroy the reactor would be undertaken by Tano and Barriss Offee, the latter of who had memorized all two hundred junctions between the catacomb's tunnels in preparation. Skywalker was uncertain if Tano was ready for this, but she insisted she was. While the Padawans were infiltrating the catacombs, Generals Skywalker and Unduli would lead their forces in a forward assault on the foundry's main entrance as a distraction.

The four Jedi set their plan into motion, with Tano and Offee descending the canyon wall to reach the catacomb's entry point as the two generals marched their forces onto the bridge parade-style, followed closely by AT-TEs. Unduli asked Skywalker why he didn't want Tano participating, to which he didn't answer. Skywalker and Unduli's men were met by a large force of battle droids marching forth from the foundry, followed by Geonosian warriors launching surprise attacks from the spires behind the Republic force. Afterward, they were assaulted by several squads of droidekas that were quickly destroyed by rockets and AT-TEs. In response, Poggle the Lesser authorized the use of experimental super tanks at the urging of his tactical droid, TX-21. Twenty of the tanks left the foundry, approached the Republic forces, and were immediately fired upon by AV-7 Antivehicle Cannons. The ray shielded tanks were unaffected by the cannon fire and opened fire themselves, destroying the AV-7s, decimating the Republic's infantry, and forcing Skywalker and Unduli to fall back.

Unduli and Skywalker then devised a plan to defeat the tanks on the bridge. The two climbed onto the underbelly of the bridge and planted explosives along its length. Upon reaching the opposite side of the bridge, they triggered the explosives, causing the bridge to collapse and take the tanks with it into the canyon. Evacuation ships arrived shortly afterward in anticipation of the explosion that would destroy the foundry. Later than expected, the Padawans contacted them, saying their explosives had been taken away and their only hope was to use a super tank they had acquired to destroy the foundry reactor and burying themselves in the process. Skywalker fervently ordered them not to do it, but they turned off the comlink. Moments later, a massive chain of explosions issued, leveling the foundry.

When the smoke cleared, Skywalker and Unduli were standing on the edge of a vast crater filled with debris that had once been the foundry. After failing to reach Tano on her communicator, a determined General Skywalker ordered that the rubble be moved. As LAAT carriers began to lift the wreckage, General Unduli argued that Skywalker should simply accept his student's fate. Deep below the surface, in the cockpit of the super tank, Tano and Offee struggled to stay conscious. In an effort to contact her master, Tano fashioned a communicator out of a power cell from the tank, something she had learned from Skywalker. Receiving the signal, Skywalker deduced where it came from and rushed over to a pile of debris. With the aid of Unduli, he lifted it with the Force to reveal the tank. The two Padawans crawled out, finally reuniting with their masters. Unduli admitted to Tano that her master never lost faith in her.[108]

Tano and Bariss left the battlefield to recuperate, while Unduli set out on a speeder to find Poggle the Lesser. She and her clone companion Buzz followed Poggle's trail, as they braved through a sandstorm. They tracked Poggle to the Progate Temple. Unduli then holographically called Kenobi, Ki-Adi-Mundi and Skywalker in one of the Republic Acclamator ships, reporting that she had found what seemed to be a munitions container. She was advised by Kenobi via hologram to wait for support, but moments later Buzz's scream was heard and contact was lost. Skywalker eagerly wanted to go help, but the other Masters advised to wait until the storm was over.

After the storm, Skywalker and Kenobi brought a squad to the temple. Cody found Buzz's body and Kenobi found Unduli's lightsaber. They then saw a statue of what seemed to be a Geonosian queen's head above the archway of a dark tunnel. They went through the archway, entering a strange maze. Shortly after, Unduli contacted Kenobi, telling them not to enter the temple, before she was subdued. Then, Kenobi and Skywalker were attacked by undead Geonosians, who were able to move even if shot or hacked; there was also something worm-like moving through their face openings. Kenobi, Skywalker and the squad managed to save themselves by going down a tunnel. Kenobi remembered rumors of a hive mind able to control Geonosians, even after they are dead. Because they were too deep underground to contact Mundi, Kenobi sent two clones to head back to the surface and call for help. Unfortunately, they were killed by the zombies before they could do so. Kenobi thus suggested that the rest of them should stick together.

Skywalker and Unduli fight Karina's undead Geonosian warriors.

They eventually found Unduli, held in energy bonds before the Geonosian Queen. Skywalker prepared to charge in, but Kenobi had a different strategy. He told Cody to have his men surround the place, before blinding the zombies and burying them. The Jedi approached the queen, her thralls letting them pass. Kenobi diplomatically told her to surrender, but the queen refused, intending on controlling the Jedi with her brain worms. Skywalker activated his lightsaber, but Kenobi gestured for him to stay put. One of the zombies approached Unduli with a worm, but before it could snake its way up her nose, Kenobi gave the signal, and Cody and his men surprise the Geonosians. They saved Unduli and took Poggle prisoner. Unduli asked why they had come despite her telling them not to. Kenobi said he followed Skywalker's example for once, and disobeyed orders.

Kenobi intended to study the worm that was going to be used on Unduli, but Skywalker squished it with his boot, saying they should get out. They attempted to escape the collapsing temple, with the zombies after them. As they made their way up the hole that led to the surface, a few zombies followed them. Then, a rush of dust pushed them up. They escaped before the entire temple caved in, probably burying the queen.[109]

Brain worm skirmish

With Poggle under custody, the Jedi prepared to leave Geonosis. However, they received news that the Ord Cestus medical station needed supplies. While the Jedi delivered Poggle to Coruscant, Skywalker suggested Tano and Offee to be in a supply ship to the station.

The Padawans set off, but the ship did not check in as schedule reported. Skywalker began to worry, but they eventually managed to establish contact with the ship. Tano informed them that the ship's crew had been taken over by Geonosian brain worms.

Skywalker interrogated Poggle, but the latter refused to say how the worms could be defeated. Enraged, Skywalker briefly tapped into the dark side and began choking Poggle with the Force. Eventually, Poggle confessed that the worms could be defeated with cold temperature.

Skywalker managed to contact Tano to relay the information. Later, he found Tano recovering from a fight with Offee, who had been infected by the worms for a short period of time. Kit Fisto arrived and told the Jedi Knight and his Padawan that the brain worms in the ship had been contained. After Fisto left, Skywalker congratulated Tano for saving the crew. However, Tano revealed to her Master that Offee wanted Tano to kill her during their fight. Skywalker consoled his Padawan, telling her that Offee would have done anything to save the crew from the worms, even sacrificing her own life in the process.[110]

Conflict on Valahari

Skywalker and Kenobi were sent to the planet Valahari for negotiations. Although it had declared neutrality in the Clone Wars, Valahari was supplying the Separatists with newer, more advanced ships. While Kenobi negotiated with Harko Vane, the Viscount of Valahari, Skywalker podraced with Tofen, Harko's son. Eventually, Harko declined Kenobi's offer to join the Republic and the Republic forces blockaded Valahari. Vane tried to break the blockade, however, the Valiant, Vane's ship, was suddenly destroyed by Asajj Ventress in an effort to blame the Republic. Valahari joined the Separatists and Skywalker was exiled to a remote outpost in Ryloth.[111]

However, Skywalker returned to active duty when a squadron of Valahari ships called Tofen's Raiders was destroying Republic fleets. The Republic forces faced the Valahari's squadron in the Hexus system. There, Skywalker discovered that Tofen was the squadron's leader. Tofen shot Skywalker down, but before he could kill him, reinforcements arrived and drove Valahari's forces off. However, Skywalker managed to place a homing beacon in Tofen's ship.[112]

Skywalker received a prototype of the Eta-2 Actis-class light interceptor, the best starfighter created by Kuat Systems Engineering. The Republic found Tofen's base, Harko Station, in the Veil Nebula. The Republic assaulted the station, but the Valahari activated a signal that led the local neebrays to attack the Republic forces. However, Shadow Squadron managed to destroy the station and thus disable the signal. Skywalker then engaged Tofen in a dogfight. During their battle, Anakin tried to reason with Tofen, revealing to him that it was Count Dooku who killed his father, not the Republic. But Tofen refused to listen and he kept fighting. Suddenly, Tofen's engines were critically hit, setting his fighter aflame. Anakin towed Tofen's fighter to a Republic ship. However, Tofen's burns were fatal and he died in Anakin's arms, but not before asking him for justice for his father's death. Elodore Vane, Tofen's mother, then exiled Count Dooku from Valahari, stopped their engagement and announced that Valahari would stop supporting both sides of the conflict.[113]

Hunt for Grievous

When Master Eeth Koth was captured by Grievous in a battle near the Arda system, Grievous sent a holotransmission to the Jedi Council in which he had one of his MagnaGuards torture Koth. In the message, Grievous expressed his desire to see all of the Jedi dead, but Plo Koon noticed a coded message in Koth's hand gestures within the message, and the decoded message revealed Grievous to be in the Saleucami system. Adi Gallia, Skywalker, and Kenobi were dispatched with a fleet to rescue Koth, and they came up with a battle plan: Admiral Yularen and Kenobi would engage Grievous's forces over Saleucami, and Kenobi would allow his light ccruiser to be boarded by Grievous to distract him. When Grievous fell for the bait, Skywalker, Gallia, Rex, and a group of clone troopers would execute a hyperspace jump into the system in their shuttle that would bring them right alongside Grievous's destroyer, allowing them to rescue Koth.[114]

Skywalker and Gallia aboard Grievous's destroyer

When Grievous boarded Kenobi's cruiser as planned, Skywalker piloted their shuttle through the ongoing space battle and through the hollow hull plates of Grievous's destroyer, landing the ship on the destroyer's underbelly, where Skywalker carved a hole in the destroyer's hull with his lightsaber for the Jedi and troopers to use to access the warship. Boarding the destroyer, Skywalker and Gallia ordered Rex and his men to guard their shuttle while they headed to the bridge to rescue Koth. Cutting through the battle droid patrols that they encountered as they moved through the ship, Skywalker and Gallia reached the bridge to find the tactical droid TV-94 and a squad of droid commandos guarding Koth, as Grievous had anticipated the rescue attempt. When TV-94 attempted to kill Koth through electrocution, Skywalker pulled the droid towards him with the Force and severed the arm that had the controls to the machinery torturing Koth.[114]

In the ensuing melee, the commando droids attacked Gallia and Skywalker as TV-94 struggled to reclaim his arm and kill Koth, but the two Jedi were able to destroy the droids and free Koth before the tactical droid succeeded. Making their way back to the shuttle, the three were contacted Kenobi, who informed them that Grievous had escaped and was returning to his ship, so Gallia departed to intercept the general before he escaped Kenobi's cruiser while Skywalker took Koth to the shuttle. Kenobi and Gallia's attempts to capture Grievous with the help of Commander Cody ultimately failed when the Separatist destroyer began to fire on Kenobi's cruiser, and the three escaped Grievous's destroyer aboard Skywalker's shuttle as Grievous fled his damaged warship to Saleucami's surface.[114]

While Kenobi led the hunt for Grievous on the planet's surface, Skywalker assumed command of the naval battle, deploying all of his starfighters in an effort to elimate Grievous's destroyer. Despite opposition from the remaining Separatist forces and reinforcements in the form of three additional Munificent-class frigates, Skywalker's fighters were able to destroy most of the enemy droid starfighters, and the arrival of four Republic Venator-class Star Destroyers ensured that the Republic emerged victorious.[114]

Later, Skywalker and his padawan went on a mission in the Coruscant underlevels to capture Car Affa—an Weequay arms dealer who sold Republic weapons to the Separatists. Skywalker apprehended the criminal in a bar, but Tano had her lightsaber stolen while waiting outside. However, she managed to recover it, without telling her master.[115]

Coronet plot

Skywalker faces off against an assassin probe on the Coronet.

Following speculation that Mandalore had left the Republic for the Separatists, Obi-Wan Kenobi was sent to the planet to speak to his friend and ruler of the planet, DuchessSatine Kryze. Several attempts were made both on the lives of Kenobi and Kryze, the Duchess decided to make a voyage to Coruscant, where she would plead Mandalore's cause in-person in front of the Galactic Senate. Skywalker, accompanied by Captain Rex and Commander Cody, led the starship Coronet to Mandalore to escort Kryze. During the voyage, Rex voiced his concerns from the cargo hold, citing the disappearance of two troopers and the increased jitters of R2-D2. Skywalker volunteered to investigate matters himself, and discovered a large cargo hold of assassin probe droids lurking in the darkness. Although he, Rex, Cody, and R2-D2 were able to hold back most of them, one escaped up into the turbolift, to the direct threat of Kryze and her entourage. With the droid in his grasp, Kenobi used the probe's attacking programming to discover the assassin, Senator Tal Merrik, although the politician quickly unleashed a blaster pistol and pressed it to Kryze's head, holding the Duchess hostage. Racing up from the cargo hold, Skywalker discovered Merrik's reinforcements, shiploads full of super battle droids intent on taking the Coronet and Kryze for the Mandalorianopposition leader Pre Vizsla. Dispatching the droids with relative ease, Skywalker was able to sneak up behind Merrik while the would-be assassin was in the midst of a stalemate with Kenobi and Kryze and stabbed him in the back, ending the ship's imminent danger and allowing Kryze to travel the remainder of the voyage to Coruscant in peace.[116]

Sometime after these events, Skywalker and Capt. Rex later dropped off Tano, at the behest of Duchess Kryze and the Jedi Council, on Mandalore to instruct cadets at the Royal Academy of Government. Due to the Jedi's limited resources, Skywalker was not able to join his Padawan. Before leaving to join up with Master Fisto, Skywalker took his Padawan's lightsaber to respect Mandalore's laws. After Tano exposed Prime Minster Almec's black market, Skywalker returned his Padawan's lightsaber to her and congratulated her on a job well done.[117] When Skywalker and Tano returned to the Jedi Temple, the Jedi Council ordered Skywalker to command the Third Legion on Balith to give assistance in their civil war. The council, however, wanted Tano to stay behind so she could give the council her full report. Despite pleas from Tano to let her come along, Skywalker told her that she should use this time in the library to prove him wrong about the council's decision. Skywalker then left with Capt. Rex to Balith. When Tano returned after foiling Aurra Sing's assassination attempt on Senator Amidala's life at her refugee conference, Skywalker welcomed his wife and his Padawan back, but wondered who paid Sing to kill Amidala. After Tano uses her improved precognitive abilities to find out who is behind the assassination attempt, Amidala realizes who it is. Skywalker and his Padawan then went to the Republic Judiciary Central Detention Center to question Ziro the Hutt. Skywalker's padawan was able to trick Ziro into confessing that he did hire Sing for the job. After Ziro's confession, Skywalker and his Padawan then left Ziro to his misery.[118]

Trap on Vanqor

Skywalker approaches Jango Fett's helmet, laden with explosives.

Skywalker, along with Master Windu took a brief respite aboard the Jedi Cruiser Endurance. The starship was later sabotaged by Boba Fett, who wanted to exact revenge on Mace Windu for killing his father. His sabotage attempt put many young clones at risk, but they were rescued by Skywalker and Windu.[119]

Windu and Skywalker then transferred the survivors to a Republic medical ship, before heading down to the planet to look for survivors. Skywalker pointed out upon coming across the ship that, whilst it was in a terrible shape, the bridge appeared to be in one piece. The two Jedi set down behind the ship, at which point R2-D2 beeped that he had a "bad feeling about this place", and Windu chastised Skywalker for encouraging individuality in his droid. Windu, Skywalker, R2 and R8-B7 proceeded to the ship, unaware of gundarks following them.[120]

Once inside, the Jedi came across clone troopers killed not by the crash but by execution; Windu theorized that those who tried to assassinate him may have come down looking for his body and killed the survivors. The droids were sent to search for survivors whilst the Jedi head to the bridge. In the process of their search, R2 and R8 were attacked by a pair of gundarks: R8 was ripped apart and R2 was knocked across the floor.[120]

Meanwhile, Anakin then spotted a Mandalorian helmet. Mace then realized that the saboteur was none other than the clone template Jango Fett's son, Boba. Luckily, the Jedi Master was able to save Anakin from the full blast. R2, realizing that Skywalker and Windu were in danger, returned to the bridge and saw Windu unconscious and Skywalker wounded, both buried under rubble. Skywalker told R2 to get a message to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, and R2 delivered it to Plo Koon and Ahsoka Tano, who rescued the two Jedi.[120]

After spending time in a bacta tank at the Temple, Anakin urged Windu to track Boba Fett down and bring him to justice. Mace did not agree to do this until Koon and Tano showed them a message from Fett and Aurra Sing, which showed that the pair took hostages. After seeing Commander Ponds killed in cold blood by Sing, Windu decided to go. Koon, however, said that he will go, along with Tano, since both Windu and Skywalker were still recovering from their injuries.[121]

Shortly, Grievous's Separatist fleet arrived and a space battle ensued. Anakin led the Republic space forces against the attackers, scoring several serious hits against the enemy - or so it seemed. Suspicious, Obi-Wan traveled underwater, where he discovered that the pieces of debris falling into the Kaminoan ocean were actually components for assault craft being assembled by Aqua droids.

The finished attack ship assaulted Tipoca City, depositing several battle droids led by Grievous and Ventress. Grievous attacked the barracks to destroy all the clones he could find there, while Ventress headed for the main DNA storage to secure the prime DNA sample of the clones' template, Jango Fett. Obi-Wan returned to the city and recalled Anakin and the two engaged Grievous and Ventress. With the help of a clone trooper platoon, Anakin managed to recover the DNA sample, but Ventress escaped.[122]

Senate hostage crisis

"Young Skywalker… Not so impressive without your lightsaber, are you, Jedi?"

Following a failed assassination attempt on Senator Amidala employing the services of bounty hunter Aurra Sing, Ziro the Hutt was interrogated by Anakin and his padawan Ahsoka Tano in his prison cell, during which he confessed his involvement in the matter. This effectively extended his prison sentence[118]; however, because of sensitive information in his possession, Jabba the Hutt and the Hutt Grand Council hired the renowned bounty hunter Cad Bane to break him out of the detention center.[123]

Visiting his wife, Padmé Amidala, in her office at the Republic Executive Building, Skywalker asked her to sneak away with him on a meditative retreat. Amidala denied this request, stating she had a bill to present before the Galactic Senate. They discussed their marriage, though Amidala thought Skywalker was just teasing her. After stating "There's nothing more important than the way I feel about you," he gave her his lightsaber as a sign of trust. The two shared a kiss, then were interrupted by C-3PO's and Senator Organa's voices. Skywalker hid under Amidala's desk, not being able to retrieve his lightsaber. Amidala was forced to hide it while she met with other senators about the Enhanced Privacy Invasion Bill. Meanwhile, Cad Bane's posse arrived at the Senate Building, and killed the Senate Commandos guarding the landing platform.[124]

Robonino shocks Skywalker.

The bounty hunters then captured the senators, including Padmé Amidala, Riyo Chuchi, and Bail Organa. Robonino shut off the building's power, catching Skywalker's attention. Skywalker located the hostages, but got spotted by Bane. He found and hot-wired a terminal with his comlink and contacted Palpatine, who advised him to get to the central power core and turn off the security seals. Skywalker hid as Bane's men—an IG-86 sentinel droid and Shahan Alama—came by, the latter of whom Skywalker used a mind trick on, making them both go check the other floors. Skywalker then went searching around the building, ran into the IG-86 sentinel droid, and beat it to destruction with his bare hands. He eventually found the power core, but before he could reach it, Alama engaged him in a short battle. Skywalker managed to steal his blaster, but it was soon shot out of his hands by Aurra Sing. Robonino was then able to knock Skywalker unconscious. The bounty hunters brought him to Bane, who then had them put explosive lasers around the senators and the Jedi Knight. After Skywalker regained consciousness, Amidala handed him his lightsaber, which he then used to cut a hole in the floor in order to get the senators to safety.[124]

Political chaos

Farther into the war, Skywalker trained Tano to fight with a shoto along with her original lightsaber. Despite the Republic's numerous victories, the clone army was suffering higher casualties as the battles escalated. The Galactic Senate called an emergency session in the wake of this issue, which Skywalker and Tano watched from the Grand Concourse. After the session, Padmé pleaded with her husband to convince the High Council to discuss the ending of the war campaign with the Chancellor, but Skywalker denies to be involved with the situation. However, Tano disagreed, which caused Skywalker to request that Amidala teach his Padawan about politics. However, the two women crossed the boundaries by illegally travelling to Raxus, the capital planet of the Separatists. After their return to Coruscant, Skywalker briefly spoke with fellow Jedi Eekar Oki before scolding his Padawan for her actions.

Skywalker often entrusted Tano to resolving political intrigue; for example, he encouraged Tano in helping to resolve political intrigue surrounding the kidnapping of BaronN. Papanoida of Orto Plutonia's daughters Chi Eekway and Che Amanwe. Her resourcefulness led the Council to appoint her to an undercover assignment on Mandalore following the uncovering of a net of corrupt politicians, which her master both escorted her to, and then took her away, after she had completed her mission.

Hunting Savage Opress

After the Battle of Sullust, Skywalker assumed that Ventress was killed. After, Masters Yoda and Windu had shown Kenobi footage of a massacre on Devaron, Anakin accompanied Obi-wan on his search for this monster presumably a kin of Darth Maul, so they headed for the Sith Lord's homeworld. During their brief battle with the warriors of the village, Skywalker was able to take Brother Viscus as a hostage, who told them that Mother Talzin should know of this monster's whereabouts. Though Talzin had initially tried to avoid giving them direct answer, she eventually showed and told them the monster's name and whereabouts. The two Jedi then headed to Toydaria where they had a confrontation with Savage, but failed to stop him from killing King Katuunko. After Savage had destroyed their ship, they borrowed the king's ship. In space above Toydaria, Skywaker and Kenobi caught up with Opress on Dooku's Separtist flagship, however he managed to overpower them and escaped. Skywalker and Obi-Wan then retreated and left the ship.

Revelation on Mortis

Skywalker forces the Son and Daughter to kneel before him

When the Jedi Council received a 2,000 year old distress signal from the Chrelythiumn system, Skywalker, along with Obi-Wan Kenobi and Tano, were sent to investigate. Fearing a Separatist trap, they were supposed to meet up with Captain Rex and an armed cruiser at the coordinates.
Though they both reached the location, neither Skywalker nor Rex could see each other. All of a sudden a crystal shaped structure appeared and pulled the Jedi's ship towards itself. The crew passed out and when they regained consciousness, they found themselves on a strange world that was radiant with the Force. Skywalker was then approached by the Daughter who asked if he was the One, then told them to follow her. On the way, a rock slide separated Kenobi and Tano from Daughter and Skywalker. Despite Daughter's warning to wait there, Skywalker tried to follow her. However, he lost her, and had to find shelter in a cave from a storm before he spotted a monastery's beacon. As soon as the storms let up Skywalker hastened to the monastery where he met the Father, who gave him shelter.

Later, Skywalker was visited by an apparition of his mother. Skywalker, knowing that she was dead, could not believe that was her. She told Anakin that she knew that he defined his guilt by what he had done: massacring the Tusken Raiders and his secret marriage to Padmé Amidala. When Skywalker tried to confront her, she changed into a monster, revealing that she was actually the Son. Skywalker confronted the Father, pointing a lightsaber at him, under the assumption that he was a Sith Lord. The Father replied to this by stating he was neither Sith nor Jedi. He told Skywalker that he and his children were Force-wielders, beings so strong in the ways of the Force that they could not dwell in the material world anymore; as a result, they had retreated to this planet to contain their powers by attaining balance within and cutting off any influences from the outside world .

The Father asked Skywalker about the Chosen One, which he believed to be merely a myth. After hearing Skywalker's reply, the Father gave him an offer. If Skywalker would pass a test, he and his friends were free to leave. The following morning he had to face an impossible choice—Son and Daughter had kidnapped Tano and Kenobi as they went looking for him, and Skywalker had to choose which one to save. Kenobi reminded him that the planet was actually the Force itself. Skywalker, using the Force, was then able to tame both the Children, who changed back into their human form. The old man told Skywalker that while he had passed the test, he still had to learn about the true nature within himself. He revealed that he had been dying, and asked Skywalker to take his place as the balancing element between his children, or otherwise endanger the galaxy with his selfishness if he left. Skywalker chose to leave, although he was strangely hesitant to do so.

However, before the Jedi's ship could exit the planet's atmosphere, Son abducted Tano, correctly assuming that the Jedi would not leave her behind. After a lengthy pursuit, Skywalker lost track of Son and almost crashed into a giant tower. After a none-too-elegant landing, Skywalker decided to go and rescue his Padawan, despite Kenobi's concern about disturbing the balance of the Force in their own universe as well.

When Skywalker finally managed to climb up to the garden of the tower, he found Tano, brainwashed by the Son's influence, her eyes bearing the yellow hue of the dark side's taint. There she told him Son's message: if Skywalker refused to join him, he would kill Tano, and if Skywalker tried to stop Son, he would be forced to kill the girl himself. Then the two engaged in a duel, with Skywalker continuously retreating, unwilling to hurt his student. Soon, Kenobi arrived to join forces with his former Padawan while Son and Daughter started their own combat inside the tower's throne room.

When it became obvious that the conflict could not go on any further without injury, Kenobi suggested killing the Son with a dagger in order to cut Tano free of is control. However, before they act on this plan, Father arrived and interrupted both fights. However, he had grown too weak to fend off Son's Force lightning. Kenobi—in hope of defeating Son—threw the dagger to Skywalker. However, Tano was quicker to catch it and took it over to Son, who then seemingly killed her with a touch to her forehead. Then he attempted to murder his father with the dagger. To his great dismay, his sister took the blow, and he fled, raging. Skywalker asked Father to help Tano, but he answered that without Light, there was no hope for her either. Skywalker replied, crying, that there was always hope. Hearing his pain, Daughter asked the help of her father, to give her remaining life-energy to Tano. Not wishing to deny the dying wish of his child, Father showed Skywalker how to transfer Daughter's life into his Padawan. After a few frightening seconds, Tano came back to life while the glowing of Daughter's body faded away. Seeing Tano alive, Skywalker knelt to his Padawan and hugged her. He asked her if she was okay, but she seemed to forget what happened. After this, Father ordered the Jedi to leave immediately, so Son wouldn't be able to leave Mortis with their ship.

However, the ship had been damaged when Anakin had crash landed it, so the Jedi were stranded. Skywalker, not convinced that the Son could be easily contained on the planet, returned on a speeder to see the Father, offering his help in killing the Son. The Father directed him toward the Well of the Dark Side with the warning not to underestimate the Son. On the way, Skywalker encountered an apparition of Qui-Gon Jinn. Skywalker confided his doubts to the apparition about what he should do with the Son. The Force spirit told him to trust his instincts and that he would find a way.

Skywalker having a Force vision on Mortis

When he arrived at the "well," he confronted the Son only to have his lightsaber pulled out of his hand. The Son then offered to show him the future. Skywalker tried to resist, but could not keep out the visions that assaulted his mind. He saw himself killingyounglings, choking Amidala as she begged for mercy, the true face of Sidious, fighting Kenobi, destroying Alderaan, and his transformation into the Sith Lord, Darth Vader. He eventually fell to his knees while the smoke behind him formed the shape of the face of Darth Vader. Skywalker collapsed, close to tears and horrified at the revelation of the monster he would become, knowing he would go on to do terrible things. The Son agreed, but offered a way to change the future he saw, asking again for Skywalker to join him. Skywalker hesitated, but then submitted at the promise of peace.

Shortly afterward, Kenobi arrived, having gone looking for Skywalker. He found him poisoned by the Dark Side. Skywalker said that there had been "a change of plan." He telekinetically pushed the speeder he had arrived on into the surrounding lava. Skywalker told Kenobi that he could not understand, and he would try to stop him doing what he had to do. The Son then blasted Kenobi with lightning. Skywalker told him that the Jedi would get in the way of peace. Skywalker left on Kenobi's speeder, trapping him.

The corrupted Skywalker approached the shuttle that Tano had recently repaired, but Tano had received warning from Kenobi to stop both the Son and Skywalker from leaving the planet by sabotaging the ship. As he entered, she escaped with a vital part of the ship.

When the Son joined Skywalker, the Jedi told him that no one would be able to hear the distress signal he was sending. The Son told him that the Father still had control over the planet, but that he would soon be able to control it himself. Skywalker said that Kenobi and Tano would probably call the Father for help and that their combined powers could be enough to defeat them. The Son agreed and told Skywalker to wait while he went to find the Dagger of Mortis, which the Father had buried with the Daughter.

After the Son withdrew, Skywalker was confronted by the Father who demanded to know why he had joined with his Son. Skywalker said that he did not want what he had seen to come true, but the Father said that his destiny was not written in stone and his son had broken the laws of time by showing Skywalker his future. He then erased the visions from Skywalker's mind, rendering the Jedi unconscious. When he awoke, he was back at the monastery with no memory of his visions and brief fall to the dark side. They were then joined by Kenobi and Tano, who asked if he was alright. He told them he was fine, but that they needed to stop the Son.

At that moment, the son arrived holding the Mortis Dagger. The Father pleaded with him to renounce the dark side, but the Son simply sneered. The Jedi attacked, but the Son easily overpowered them. The Father suddenly summoned the Mortis Dagger to his hands. To the Son's surprise, the Father killed himself instead of the Son. As he lay dying, the Father revealed to the Son that their power was connected, and that with his death his power was broken. The Son refused to believe he was dying, saying that he loved his Father and it did not have to be this way. The Father told the Son that he had always believed there was good in him, and embraced him. Skywalker than ran the Son through with his lightsaber. The Son died, followed shortly by the Father whose last words were that now Skywalker had restored balance to Mortis, he had to do so to the entire galaxy, but also warned him to beware his feelings, as they might lead to his downfall. The Father then faded into the Force.

With all the Force-wielders dead, the planet began to break apart. A blinding white light enveloped the Jedi, and they found themselves back in the shuttle, seemingly moments before they had disappeared. Captain Rex contacted them, saying that they had disappeared of their scopes for a moment. Skywalker told him incredulously that they had been gone for more than a moment. Rex said that he didn't understand, but Skywalker told him that even if he told him the truth, Rex would not believe him.

Rescuing Master Piell

Anakin puts Captain Tarkin in his place

"It's when things do not go as planned that concerns me. What then?""It's when things don't go as planned that we Jedi are at our best. Trust me.""I reserve my trust for those who take action, General Skywalker.""Then let me remind you, we rescued you back there. And I reserve my trust for those who understand gratitude, Captain Tarkin"

―Captain Tarkin and Skywalker verbally spar about the escape plan[src]

After Master Even Piell was captured due to his knowledge of the Nexus Route, Skywalker, along with Master Kenobi, Captain Rex, Commander Cody, ARC TroopersEcho and Fives and three other clone troopers, was sent to rescue Master Piell from the "impenetrable" Separatist prison, the Citadel. Skywalker forbade his Padawan from coming on the mission, saying it would be too dangerous for her. When the rescue party reached the hangar of the Citadel, Skywalker devised a way to get past their scanners by being frozen in carbonite, thus stifling their life-readings. After the team was frozen, they were loaded up onto the transport ship by R2-D2's battle droid squadron. The shuttle was able to get through thanks to Skywalker's strategy. When Skywalker was thawed out, he found, to his surprise, that Tano had disobeyed orders and followed him. The team reluctantly took her along.

When they reached the Citadel, the team was successful in rescuing Master Piell just before he would have lost his good eye to an interrogator droid. Skywalker asked if Piell found the Nexus Route. Piell told him that he memorized half the information while his captain, Wilhuff Tarkin, memorized the other half as a precaution in case he cracked under the interrogation. Skywalker and the rest of the team went to free Tarkin. On their way, they were ambushed by commando droids. The team was successful in defeating the first of commando droids, but when the second squad of commando droids came, Osi Sobeck activated magnets in the ceiling, ripping the team's weapons away and trapping Skywalker by attracting his prosthetic arm. As the rest of the team scrambled to defeat the droids with telekinesis and their bare hands, Skywalker, despite being brutally electrocuted by Sobeck, was able to get his lightsaber and disable the magnet.

After the team defeated the commando droids, they rescued Tarkin and the rest of the officers. Skywalker and Kenobi then decided to split up to prevent the enemy from getting either half of the information. Kenobi took Piell and a couple of his officers with his group and Skywalker took Captain Tarkin and a couple of officer with him. Skywalker was then able to cut into a old tunnel. Skywalker was glad that things were going according to plan, though Tarkin expressed some skepticism about this plan and didn't seem grateful for rescuing him. Skywalker told Tarkin that he reserved his trust to those who understood the meaning of Gratitude.[125] As Skywalker and his team made their way through the tunnels, Skywalker watched their rear, leaving his apprentice leading the team. When they reached a dead end, Skywalker destroyed a Recon Droid and then fought against Superbattle droids and commando droids armed with shields. Skywalker, Tano and the team were able to destroy the commando droids and blast the dead end open. Skywalker and his team then went into a fuel line. Along the way, Skywalker found that he and Tarkin believed that the Jedi didn't take the initiative and did whatever it took. When they reached the exit of the fuel line they were ambushed by battle droids and Crab droids. Luckily, Skywalker was able to destroy them by throwing a grenade into the fuel line. Skywalker and his team then moved to Plan B, to meet up with Kenobi's team trying to reach the shuttle at the airfield. After the shuttle was destroyed, both teams fell back to some caves.[126]

After Master Piell contacted the Jedi Temple, Skywalker, Kenobi and the rest of team moved onto to the rendezvous point. When Skywalker's and Kenobi's team reached the lava lake, they were attacked by a large battle droid force. While R2's droid team held off the enemy, Skywalker went down a cliff with the rest of the team down to the lake's shore and escapes into a set of gullies. As they move on, Skywalker warned Tarkin not to upset Master Piell if he wanted to keep his career. Tarkin stated that the Supreme Chancellor would support him, to which Anakin stated that he too knew the Chancellor well.

When Tano asked Skywalker why Piell would share half the information with Tarkin. Skywalker told Tano that Tarkin felt that the Jedi shouldn't be running the war, to which he replied that the Jedi were keepers of the peace, not soldiers. As Skywalker and Kenobi discussed Tarkin's haughty attitude towards the Jedi, they noticed the anooba trailing them, along with a squad of STAPs. Skywalker, Kenobi and R2 lured the creatures into an ambush, but the rest of the team itself was ambushed by crab droids and another group of STAPs. When Skywalker and Kenobi rejoined the team, Padawan Tano arrived carrying Master Piell's body, and told them that she had his half of the information. Skywalker, Kenobi and the rest of the team then took a brief moment to consign his body to the lava before moving on. When they reached the island, Skywalker and cody fired extension cables, but were then ambushed by Sobeck and his commando droids on STAPs. After Sobeck's death, Master Koon arrived and picked them up. When they returned to the Temple, Skywalker shook hands with Tarkin before he left. Skywalker then told Kenobi that they could use more men like him to help them win the war.[127]

Return to Felucia

"When I was out there, alone, all I had was your training and the lessons you taught me. And because of you, I did survive. And not only that, I was able to lead others to survive as well."

Skywalker continues his search for his missing Padawan at the Jedi Temple.

Skywalker, along with Padawan Tano, Master Plo Koon, and their clone officers Captain Rex and Commander Wolffe, traveled to Felucia to tend to reinforcements dispatched by General Grievous to an outpost to secure his hold on Felucia. Koon and Wolffe jumped in from one of the sides of outpost while Tano attacked from the rear. Skywalker and Rex, aided by Felucian scouts, would stage a ambush at the front of the outpost. When the outpost came under fire from the AT-TEs and Turbo Tanks, the droids were ambushed by Skywalker's men and the outpost was taken. When Skywalker asked one of Tano's men where she was, he was told that she was missing. Skywalker then proceeded to look for Tano, but Koon told Skywalker that he must return to Coruscant. At the Jedi Temple, Skywalker kept searching for her.[128] Eventually, Tano found her own way back and Skywalker apologised to her for bringing her on the mission and not being to careful, but Tano thanked him for because of him training her she survived.[129]

The Starcrusher trap

"I've defied the Chancellor's orders. It's that rebellious streak of mine you keep cautioning me about, I'm afraid.""Bless that rebellious streak! For once, you're right where I want you!"

During the war, Kenobi and Skywalker infiltrated a Separatist munitions factory on an asteroid. Skywalker joked that he had forgotten the explosives as Kenobi used his lightsaber to cut into the factory. Once inside they were surrounded by battle droids, but the two Jedi destroyed them and ventured deeper into the factory. Skywalker threw the explosives into the station's reactor, and the resulting explosion brought down the shields.[130]

Three Republic Venator-class star destroyers led by Captain Trask moved into position to destroy the factory, but the Separatist battleshipStarcrusher ambushed the destroyers. The two Jedi were unaware of the destruction of the Republic fleet, and Skywalker called for extraction. The Jedi Knight Jyl Somtay, piloting a T-6 shuttle, arrived to pick them up. The three Jedi were able to fly past the Starcrusher and return to Coruscant, where the Jedi Council decided to send a team to hunt down the dangerous Separatist vessel, which included Kenobi, Somtay, Master Windu, Master Mundi, and Skywalker's Padawan. Chancellor Palpatine contacted Grand Master Yoda, and asked for the services of Skywalker.[130]

Skywalker met the Chancellor in his private office, where Palpatine presented a collection of seeds for Skywalker to take to the Daltarri inhabitants as a gesture of goodwill. Skywalker took R2 and his starfighter to the planet Daltarri and met the inhabitants, who agreed to aid the Republic. During his mission, Skywalker received a premonition of danger, and cut short his mission to Daltarri by two days.[130]

The Jedi assault team had gotten trapped on a decoy Starcrusher and were on the verge of crashing into a star when Skywalker arrived. At that time, the real Starcrusher arrived. Kenobi came up with a plan, and had Skyalker fly his fighter into the battleship's main hold, where he caused damage to the inside of the vessel. Skywalker proceeded to the vessel's power generator and destroyed it. Kenobi's plan involved magnetizing the hull of the decoy to cause the real Starcrusher to crash into it. The team then escaped using spacesuits, and Skywalker used a tow cable to pick up the team as the Separatist vessels disentigrated in the sun.[130]

The strike team then returned to Coruscant, and Skywalker met with Palpatine, who was not upset that he had cut his mission to Daltarri short. Upon his return to the Jedi Temple, he saw Tano and Somtay, who were going for caf and to discuss Skywalker.[130]

Civil war on Mon Calamari

After the assassination of Mon Calamari's King Yos Kolina, Skywalker, acting as bodyguard to Republic Senator Padmé Amidala, were sent at the behest of Kolina's chief military adviser, Capt. Gial Ackbar, to help steer the troubled planet away from an inevitable civil war between the Quarren and Mon Calamari. After the failure of the peace talks between the Quarren and the Mon Calamari, Skywalker, Amidala, and Captain. Ackbar contacted the Jedi Council. Skywalker informed them of how the Separatist ambassador, commander Riff Tamson, stirred up the Quarren against accepting Kolina's son, prince Lee-Char as their next leader. Master Mace Windu told Skywalker and Ackbar to prepare for an assault and that they were sending a company of Clone SCUBA troopers under Kit Fisto and Ahsoka Tano to reinforce them. When the Quarren, backed by Tamson and his Aqua droids, attacked Skywalker urged Ackbar to get the prince to safety. When the prince refused to do this, Skywalker fought alongside the Mon Calamari troops. Skywalker, along with Amidala, accompanied the prince as he tried to get troops behind the Quarren and droids but failed to do so. When Padmé asked for help in getting Mon Calamari senator Meena Tills to safety, Skywalker was attacked by a couple of Quarren who grabbed him and removed his helmet. Skywalker was able to get rid of the Quarren, but couldn't get to his helmet and was slowly drowning. Fortunately, Republic reinforcements and Ahsoka arrived just in time to save her master from drowning. When Tano gave Skywalker his helmet back, he told her that he had it under control. Skywalker then told her to get to prince Lee-Char and keep him safe. When the Quarren and the droids retreated, Skywalker regrouped with the Mon Calamari soldiers and Republic leaders. Unfortunately, Tamson brought in reinforcements in the form of Hydroid Medusas. Though he kept fighting against them, Skywalker told his Padawan to find a way out to retreat. Skywalker, along with Lee-Char, Tano, Tills, Amidala, Kit Fisto, and what remained of their army retreated through the Hydroid Medusa to caves on the seafloor.[131]

After Fisto contacted Masters Yoda and Mace Windu, Skywalker advised the prince that they should try reaching Amidala's and his ship. Though the prince wanted to stay for his people, was able to convince him to make a run for the ship. After Fisto distracted the Quarren, Skywalker and Tano took a couple of mini subs with the Prince, the senators, and Capt. Ackbar. Unfortunately Tamson anticipated this move, and he blew up their ship. After their ship's destruction, Skywalker and the rest of the group grabbed onto the debris. Skywalker and Ackbar agreed that they should split up in order to protect the prince. So Skywalker took Senators Amidala, Tills and Capt. Ackbar with him while Fisto took the prince, Tano, and Commander Monnk. Skywalker and his group then went to the Mon Calamari central planetary scanner mast. Once there, Skywalker used the power of the Force to tear apart the building. Skywalker and his group were then surrounded by the Quarren and Tamson's forces. Fortunately, the Gungan Grand Army was sent to them as the Republic's reinforcements. At first the tide was turning in their favor, but Tamson, using Dooku's reinforcements created whirlpools in which they subdued the Gungans, Mon Calamari, and Skywalker's team. Ackbar then helped Skywalker make his way through the whirlpool to disable one of the Trident ship's legs to stop it. Skywalker was successful in this effort, but Skywalker, along with his team, the Gungans and Mon Calamari, were taken as prisoners.[132]

Skywalker, Fisto, Amidala, and Binks were taken to Tamson, where he put Skywalker and Fisto into Eel cages. Tamson started to interrogate them on the whereabouts of Prince Lee-Char, torturing them. When Tamson couldn't get a answer out of them, Tamson cracked Amidala's helmet to make it slowly leak. Though it convinced Tamson that Skywalker and the others knew nothing of the prince, the Prince was found and Tamson left, leaving Amidala's helmet leaking. Skywalker and Fisto used the Force to create a air bubble around her helmet. When Skywalker was bitten by one of the eels, he thought of Amidala, but luckily Binks used Gungan water sealant to seal her helmet. Skywalker and the others were then taken to the execution of the Prince. Skywalker was reunited with his Padawan shortly later, the two discussed the plan to rescue the Prince, though Tano told him that unfortunately the situation is out of there hands, with Skywalker stating that he was not sure he likes the plan after all. With the Prince about to be killed, the Quarren betrayed Tamson and then gave the Jedi and the captured Mon Calamari back their weapons and joined them in winning the battle. After winning the battle, Skywalker and the others then attended Lee-Char's coronation and installation as the 83rd King of Mon Calamari.[133]

Skirmish on Naboo

When the Naboo heard rumors that the Gungans and their army were going to march on them with the Separatists, Skywalker went with Senator Amidala to help Representative Jar Jar Binks in trying to figure out why Boss Lyonie was rallying his people to rise up against the Naboo. After witnessing a rally, they arranged for a private meeting with Lyonie, and found out he was kept under hypnotic control through a strange necklace. Lyonie said that the necklace had been given to him by a Gungan mystic, Minister Rish Loo, who actually was an agent of Count Dooku. When they confronted Rish Loo, Skywalker sensed that Rish Loo was trying to hypnotize Lyonie again. Skywalker and Amidala went in to arrest him, but Rish Loo revealed Commando Droids and battle erupted. Skywalker quickly dispatched the commando droids, however Rish Loo managed to escape after stabbing Lyonie. Skywalker pursued him till Rish Loo got to a Gungan transport and made a run to the surface.[134]

After taking Lyonie to medical facility in Otoh Gunga, Skywalker and Amidala tried to figure out a way to convince the Gungan army not to ally with the Separatists. Skywalker and Amidala then saw that there was an eerie resemblance between Jar-Jar Binks and Lyonie once the former donned the latter ceremonial apparel. Thus Skywalker took Binks (posing as Lyonie) to the army and got him to convince the army to stand down and to arrest Rish Loo. Rish Loo escaped again, commandeering a speeder bike, and Skywalker gave chase on a kaadu. Skywalker kept on his tail but his mount was then shot down by two recon droids. Anakin destroyed them and then continued on foot following Rish Loo's trail to an old, abandoned temple from which Count Dooku was overseeing the operation in person.[134]

Skywalker entered the temple, and witnessed Dooku executing his Gungan agent for failure. Skywalker and Dooku then engaged each other in lightsaber combat. Anakin initially took the advantage, forcing Dooku to break off the bout by telekinetically barraging Skywalker with lamp droids. Dooku then revealed his trump card, four MagnaGuards, ordering them to capture Skywalker. The MagnaGuards joined the fray, and gave Dooku the upper hand when he managed to disarm Skywalker. The Magnaguards then pinned Skywalker to the ground, but calling upon his anger, he managed to knock them away with a Force Repulse. Dooku ultimately managed to subdue him using a combination of Force choke and Sith lightning. Anakin was then latched to a rack, and Dooku contacted Amidala, proposing a prisoner exchange. If Amidala gave General Grievous up, Skywalker would be spared and released. Dooku gave her one hour to respond. Thus Amidala gave Grievous up for Skywalker and the droid army left Naboo.[134]

Battle of Umbara

the Republic launched a massive campaign to retake Umbara. Sending Skywalker, Pong Krell, and two high Jedi Council members, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Saesee Tiin to lead the clone troopers to retake the planet. After smashing through the Separatist blockade that guarded the planet, Skywalker and his 501st Legion troopers prepared to land on the shadowy world after just attending a mission briefing. Shortly thereafter, Skywalker and his troops entered the planet's atmosphere and engaged the local Umbaran militia forces.

After defeating the Umbara resistance for a short while Skywalker and Rex waited for the rest of their men, hoping to move out soon and reinforce General Kenobi's battalion and push for the Umbaran capital. Dogma headed over and reported that all platoons have reported in. Skywalker told him to get some rest, but Dogma replied that he was fine. Rex stepped into the conversation and told Dogma that General Skywalker gave him a direct order. Dogma did as he was asked. Rex told Skywalker that Dogma was wound tight but loyal and Skywalker made a joke that he reminded him of Rex. Rex, not thinking so, replied that was him in the old days. Shortly after this, the Umbarans executed an ambush on Skywalker and his troops. Fortunately an airstrike by Master Pong Krell and Oddball saved them in the nick of time. After the quick save, Krell approached Skywalker with a disconcerting message: Skywalker is to return to Coruscant and meet Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, for reasons unknown. Reluctant to leave his troops in the midst of battle, Skywalker nevertheless was forced to relinquish command over his troops to Master Krell and make the journey back to the Coruscant.[135]

Battle of Kiros

Skywalker and his troops leads BARC speeders into battle against battle droids on Kiros

Ten rotations of Yoda's last contact with the Togruta colonists on Kiros, Skywalker, his Padawan, Captain Rex, and Kenobi went to this world to liberate it from the Separatists. After their landing, Skywalker, with Tano as his gunner took a squad of BARC speeder to break through the city. After Skywalker and the squad took out the commando droids on Flitknot speeders and the AATs, Skywalker's and Kenobi's forces then surrounded the Governor's tower, where the Separatist Headquarters were at. Commander Cody then told that the enemy commander, Darts D'Nar, wished to discuss terms of surrender. Skywalker then took D'nar's message out of Cody's hand and called D'nar Zygerrian slaver scum. Though Skywalker wanted to negotiate with D'nar, Kenobi told him to wait while he negotiated. Skywalker then contacted Admiral Yularen to conduct a bio scan to find the missing colonists.

Skywalker then overheard Kenobi's negotiations on his comlink. Skywalker and Tano were surprised when D'Nar refused to surrender. When D'Nar said that he had planted bombs in the city, Skywalker and Tano did not believe it at first until D'Nar blew up one of the buildings. Skywalker and Tano then rode on a couple of AT-RTs to defuse the bombs while Kenobi continued his Negotiations. Skywalker and Tano diffused the bombs quickly. When Skywalker and Tano got to the last bombs, they came under fire from Sniper droidekas. Fortunately they were able to destroy the snipers and diffuse the last bombs. After that, Skywalker and Tano then took their AT-RTs back to the tower. When Kenobi informed them that D'Nar was escaping, They took their AT-RTs and jumped onto D'Nar's ship, the Tecora.

Skywalker and Tano then disabled D'Nar's ship. The ship's doors then opened and they boarded. Unfortunately, D'Nar unleashed one of his "pets", the Blixus, upon them. Skywalker and Tano then fought, but Skywalker then told Tano to stabilize the ship. Just as the Blixus was about to eat him, Skywalker then killed the blixus and escaped it's grasp as it fell off the ship. Skywalker then went to the control where his apprentice had just captured D'Nar. Skywalker then started to question D'Nar, threatening to kill D'Nar with a lightsaber up his throat. D'Nar told Skywalker that his queen would have a auction to make Zygerria powerful once again. When Skywalker, Kenobi, Yularen, and Tano told the Jedi Council of this, Skywalker told them that they must not let this happen.[136]

Infiltrating Zygerria

Skywalker, along with Kenobi, Tano, and Rex took D'Nar's ship, the Tecora, to Zygerria. There Skywalker, posing as a brigand named Lars Quell, with Tano posing as his slave would keep the Zygerrian queen busy and distracted while Kenobi and Rex look for the missing colonists. Skywalker and his fellow Jedi then gave R2-D2 their lightsabers and then went their separate ways. As Skywalker and Tano made there way through the streets, they then ran into the Zygerrian Prime Minister, Atai Molec. At first, Molec refused to allow "Quell" to see the queen until Skywalker told that he had news concerning Bruno Denturri.

Skywalker and Tano were then taken to Queen Miraj Scintel's Palace. Skywalker told the queen how he killed Denturi and took one of Denturi's "slaves" as compensation. The queen was impressed by "Quell"'s skills as a warrior. When the queen asked about how much "Quell"'s slave was, Skywalker openly flirted with the queen. Skywalker and his apprentice were then taken to the Queen's private chambers. There, as Skywalker and the queen were about to drink, one of the queen's slaves tried to kill her. Skywalker was able to stop the slave, but the slave then took her own life. When the queen offered to buy his "slave", Skywalker presented his slave as a gift to the queen, thus earning the queen's praises.

Skywalker and Tano were then invited to attend the Royal Slave Auction. When Governor Roshti was presented, Skywalker asked where she got nearly 50,000 slaves. Just then Molec told the queen of his capture of the Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi. When Kenobi was brought forward to show her customers how her people can even enslave the Jedi, Skywalker was ordered to whip Kenobi. As Skywalker move to whip Kenobi, he gave a signal to Artoo and Rex. Skywalker, Kenobi and Tano then got their lightsabers and tried to fight their way out, to no avail. The queen and her guards were able to subdue Skywalker and his friends. The queen admired Skywalker's strength, thus she decided to make Skywalker her bodyguard.

When Skywalker came about in the queen's chamber, Skywalker tried to Force-choke the queen into telling him where his friends are. However the queen tells him that if he continues to misbehave, his friends would die. Thus Skywalker submitted himself to being the queen's bodyguard.[137] Skywalker escorted the queen around her palace until Dooku arrived, unbeknownst to the queen. Skywalker was then ordered to stay put, without his lightsaber. Two guards watched until Artoo arrived and then he vanished. After Skywalker lost the guards, he then went to rescue his apprentice, who was in a cage. Skywalker then told Tano to get the ship ready, while he would get the location of Kenobi and Rex from the queen. As Skywalker entered the queen's quarter, Dooku had just Force-choked the queen. Skywalker then fought Dooku with a whip. Then the guards, believing that Skywalker had murdered their queen, tried to kill him. Skywalker then took and escaped with the dying queen to the Tecora. Onboard the ship, the queen told Skywalker that he was right and where Kenobi and Rex were.[138]

Battle of Kadavo

Skywalker and Tano took the Tecora to Kadavo, to the Zygerrian Labor Processing Hub where Kenobi and Rex were held. After their ship landed, Skywalker and Tano made their way to the front door. Just as they were cutting through the door, Kenobi warned him that Keeper Agruss will kill the slaves if he does not stop and that's he outnumbered. Fortunately, Skywalker contacted Master Plo Koon, the Wolfpack and Admiral Coburn for help. While Master Koon kept the Zygerrian defenses busy, Skywalker and Tano made their way through the facility. Skywalker then helped Master Koon to destroy the defense turrets while his apprentice helped the colonists get to the rescue ship. Skywalker, Kenobi and Rex then joined each other and evacuated the facility as Master Koon's fighters destroyed the facility.[138]

Plot to kidnap the Chancellor

After a meeting of the Jedi Council, Kenobi was "shot" by Rako Hardeen—a bounty hunter and marksman from the planet Concord Dawn—while walking through the streets of Coruscant at night with Skywalker and Tano. Hardeen was hired by an anonymous client to "kill" Kenobi with a sniper rifle.

After shooting the Jedi in the chest and completing the job, Hardeen was pursued by Skywalker, but escaped on a speeder bike and with the aid of smoke grenades. Tano and Skywalker attend Kenobi's funeral, believing him dead, and Skywalker swears to bring the perpetrator to justice.

After celebrating his high-profile kill at Trueping's cantina, his employer called him to a back room for payment. To his surprise, a very much alive Master Kenobi—having assumed Hardeen's appearance—and Master Windu arrest and incapacitate Hardeen for secret transport.

Meanwhile, during their investigation of the presumed killer, Skywalker and Ahsoka find a presumably drunk "Rako Hardeen" at Trueping's, not knowing that it was really Kenobi in disguise. Skywalker and Tano arrest him and have him transported to the Republic Judiciary Central Detention Center, where the Jedi Council had been planning to insert Kenobi undercover in order to uncover a plot involving Moralo Eval to kidnap Supreme Chancellor Palpatine.[139]

During his investigation, Kenobi discovered the involvement of Cad Bane in the plot and continued to assume his disguise to learn more. With difficulty in convincing Bane of his credibility, and to follow the enemy plot to its source, Kenobi assisted Bane and Eval in their escape from the detention center.

When Skywalker expressed his desire to track down the killer and return him to custody, Windu denied the request to pursue the fugitives. Not happy with the decision, Skywalker visited the Chancellor, who told him that the fugitives were on Nal Hutta. There, Skywalker and Tano harshly interrogated locals for information, which led them to Orondia, the fugitives last known location.[140]

Skywalker and Tano had a brief skirmish with Cad Bane as well as the disguised Hardeen, but as the criminals fled the scene after incapacitating Skywalker, he informed Tano that Kenobi was indeed alive as Hardeen, acting as an undercover agent. Yoda later confirmed this when he summoned Skywalker to his quarters.

Sometime after that the Jedi Council planned the security for the Chancellor on Naboo. When Skywalker, Tano and Windu arrived in Theed with the Chancellor and Mas Amedda, Skywalker was greeted by his secret wife, Senator Amidala. At the festival itself, the attempt to abduct the Chancellor struck with Cad Bane and Moralo Eval ferrying Palpatine away while Skywalker and Windu captured Embo and Twazzi.

Windu and Skywalker saved Palpatine with the aid of Kenobi, apprehending Eval and Bane. While walking down a corridor with Palpatine, the two were greeted by Count Dooku, who wished to finish what he started. The duel commenced, with his guards defeated leaving him the chance to engage Dooku. With Kenobi's assistance, Dooku fled and Palpatine was saved once again.

Onderon Rebels

On Onderon, which was Separatist-controlled, a group of rebels had arisen to take back the planet. Skywalker, Kenobi, and Tano went with Rex and some 501st men to aid the rebels and give them guidance. They taught the rebels sharpshooting, how to disable a droideka, and more tricks. A group of droids and AATs arrived to squash the rebels but were defeated, serving as the first test for the group. After this, Skywalker, Kenobi, and Rex with the 501st left for the war, but Tano stayed behind to lead the rebels, getting some guidance herself from Skywalker and Kenobi. Tano and the rebels, led by Saw and Steela Gerra, eventually achieved victory with rocket launchers sent by Hondo Ohnaka and ordered by Skywalker. Tano returned to Coruscant following the funeral of Steela, who had perished during the battle.

The Twilight

Obi-Wan Kenobi: "I was wondering if I might borrow that old freighter of yours."

Anakin Skywalker: "The Twilight? Sure. Though you should know -"

Obi-Wan Kenobi: "Is she spaceworthy these days?"

Anakin Skywalker: "The engines need tuning, and she's pitching more than I'd like, and there's a list of other little problems. If you give me and R2 an hour -"

Obi-Wan Kenobi: "As long as she'll fly - and land. I'm not planning on making the Kessel Run, or trying my hand at the five Fire Rings of Fornax."

When Obi-Wan Kenobi decided to travel to Mandalore on a secret mission he came to Skywalker requesting the Twilight. Skywalker gave the ship to him, even though the battered freighter had a lot of problems with it. Kenobi said that as long as it was flyable, he would take it. However, after a minor blaze occurred on the ship after landing on Mandalore, Kenobi vowed not to borrow another ship from Skywalker.

Caridia Incident

Around 20 BBY, Anakin Skywalker allowed the newly formed droid squadron, D-Squad, to conduct missions for the Galactic Republic under direct Jedi supervision, loaning R2-D2 over to the unit.[141] Eventually, Skywalker attended the Republic strategy conference on the Valor at the Caridia system. As a result, he and several other Republic military staff were nearly killed when the Venator-class Star Destroyer Renown, having been laced with Rhydonium canisters and on a collision course with the station, hyperspaced out of the system. After learning that R2 didn't make it out of the ship before blowing it up, Anakin had several soldiers search for any sign of R2 among the wreckage.[142]

Clearing Tano's name

During the defense of Cato Neimoidia, Anakin Skywalker ended up being forced to withdraw from the battle after his Eta-2 Actic-class light interceptor fell victim to a Buzz Droid attack, as well as due to news of a bombing at the Jedi Temple's hangar requiring his instant return to Coruscant. Tano and Skywalker then proceeded to investigate the reasons behind the bombing, with Skywalker remarking that "one can become the other" relating to it most likely being a staffer of the temple. They eventually deduce that Jackar Bowmani is responsible for the bombing, although they find out he was an unknowing accomplice, having been fed nanobots by his wife, Letta Turmond. They then proceeded to arrest her and bring her over to the Jedi Temple.[143] Turmond was later relocated to a Republic-owned military outpost. However, this ultimately turned for the worse, as Tano herself ended up framed with Turmond's death when she apparently killed Turmond while questioning her on her motives behind the attack. Skywalker did not bail her out of prison, as, although he personally believed her innocence, he realized that bailing her out of prison would result in her being viewed as being even more guilty than before. He eventually told this to Tano when she broke out of the prison, just prior to her escaping from a water pipe.[144] Skywalker later participated in the manhunt for Tano.[145]

As Skywalker searched, he briefly saw his Padawan with Ventress, giving him great concern. Later Tano was found with the nano droids that were used in the bombing of the Temple and she was arrested. Skywalker tried to find her innocence so he tracked down Ventress who said that Barriss was the only person besides her to know where Ahsoka was heading. Skywalker visited Offee and questioned her, to test her he attacked her with her own lightsaber, upon which she reacted with the use of Ventress' lightsabers. The two fought as Barriss attempted to flee the Jedi Knight. Anakin continued to fight her until he defeated her with the witness of the Temple Guards to her guilt.

Skywalker and Offee's duel.

Offee was captured and forced to tell the court that Tano was innocent. Tano was given a place back into the Jedi Order as a Jedi Knight but refused as she could not trust the Council. Skywalker and Tano said their goodbyes and he said that there were times that he wanted to leave the Jedi Order and Tano stated "I know" and she walked away from the Temple.

Ringo Vinda campaign

Skywalker then led the 501st at Ringo Vinda alongside fellow Jedi Generals Tiplar and Tiplee against Admiral Trench's forces. The battle was in their favor until one of Skywalker's troopers, "Tup", murdered Gen. Tiplar in trance-like state. Tup was to be sent back to Kamino but was captured. Skywalker, Rex, and Fives went to rescue him.[146] After the rescue, he was taken to Kamino. Skywalker and Rex left for the war, but Fives stayed.[147]

Tup died during treatment[147], but Fives found a biochip in every clone trooper[148] and was thus taken to see Chancellor Palpatine. After being accused of attempting to murder Palpatine, Fives was on the run and, through Jesse, asked to talk with Rex and Skywalker secretly. When the two arrived, Fives activated a ray shield out of fear. As he attempted to inform them about a plot involving the Chancellor and the Jedi, Commander Fox and the Coruscant Guard arrived and Fives was shot.[149]

Corruption in the Clan

Later, Skywalker traveled to Scipio to bail Padme Amidala out of jail. She said that there was corruption in the Banking Clan and that Rush Clovis was helping her expose it. Although he still didn't like Clovis, he took her to his private residence anyway. As the bounty hunter Embo shot at them, he protected them with his lightsaber. As they attempted to take off, Embo shot their speeder down, and a sled chase throught the snow and ice ensued. They lost the bounty hunter eventually, though, and escaped to Coruscant.[150]

Padme was assigned to help Clovis uncover the corruption, and since that meant working closely together, Skywalker decided to go after them. He found Clovis about to kiss Amidala and beat him up. Amidala's Security arrived, and Clovis covered for Skywalker. Amidala then said that they shouldn't see each other for a while.[151]

Later, Clovis exposed the corruption and became the Clan's new head.[151] When Clovis appeared to have joined the Separatists, and Amidala's clone garrison had been destroyed, Skywalker led the attack fleet to retake Scipio. He went down to Clovis' office, where Amidala was at gunpoint. A crashed Vulture droid made the tower with the office unstable, Skywalker kept his footing but the other two fell. Skywalker grabbed one of each of their hands, and since Padme was slipping, Clovis let go and fell to his death. Afterward, control of the banks was given to Palpatine.[152]

Shadows of Sifo-Dyas

Soon after, Plo Koon found traces of the dead Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas and his shuttle. Skywalker and Kenobi traced the information to the Pyke homeworld. They found a former Chancellor's aide in the dungeon, and when they questioned them about the Jedi, he said that someone wanted to be Sifo-Dyas. When they asked him for a name, he was Force-choked to death. They turned to find Count Dooku and engaged in a vicious duel with him. As the Pykes attacked Dooku, their leader addressed him as "Tyranus." Dooku escaped, but Kenobi reported to the Council that Dooku was Tyranus[153], who Jango Fett said to have hired him for the creation of the Clone Army.[11]

Hunting Ventress

Skywalker helped Kenobi during his hunt for Asajj Ventress, on what Skywalker considered to be a wild bantha chase since he believed himself to have killed Ventress. However after following several clues that pointed to her survival, Skywalker became less and less sure of this conviction. After defeating and destroying Durge in the Karthakk system,[154] the two were then found by the Intervention that was on a survey mission. Skywalker, Kenobi, Senator Bail Organa and the other jedi then went to Boz Pity. Skywalker then piloted the ship to make sure it would exit between Separatist blockade and the planet. Unfortunately, the Intervention was brought too close to the planet's gravitational pull. After the Intervention's crash landing, Skywalker and Kenobi found Ventress on Boz Pity in a bacta tank. Ventress attacked the two when she came out of her trance but was once again defeated after Skywalker struck her down after she tried to kill Kenobi with a piece of metal. She was then abandoned by Dooku. Finally Ventress let go of her anger and rage and put herself in a trance that made her appear dead. She was taken aboard a medical ship (along with Alpha 17), awoke shortly after, and ordered the pilot to take her far away from the war, Dooku, and the Jedi. Kenobi and Skywalker were left believing that she was truly dead [155] The two later participated in Mission to Ruhe in an effort to lay siege to Dooku's citadel. That mission, however, was a trap. Their LAAT/i gunship was shot down and hundreds of battle droids remained waiting for them. It was only thanks to the clone troopers who repaired the gunship that Skywalker and Kenobi escaped alive.[156]

Cato Neimoidia

During the Outer Rim Sieges, Anakin and Obi-Wan were deployed on Cato Neimoidia to capture Viceroy Gunray from his redoubt. It was the closest Obi-Wan and him had been to Coruscant in almost four standard months. He saved Obi-Wan's life by cutting a battle droid that almost killed Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan would later say that this was not one of the times Anakin had saved his life.

"Ghost Hand"

Skywalker encounters a vision of his future self.

During the Outer Rim Sieges, Kenobi and Skywalker were only occasionally removed from one another, being dispatched as a team to various battlefronts, commanding the Open Circle Fleet. Shortly before the Battle of Coruscant, Kenobi and Anakin were sent to the icy planet of Nelvaan to seek out Grievous. The Nelvaanians hailed Skywalker as "Ghost Hand", and the shaman of Rokrul village sent him on a quest to save their people from a threat that had vanquished all their champions. Skywalker agreed, and entered a cave where he experienced visions of a great hunter, who lost his arm in battle. However, he fought back, and continued to slay monsters with a new black, spiky arm. As he slew the monsters, his power grew until it was out of control, the spiky black arm turning into a spiky black labyrinth that encompassed and destroyed everything the warrior held dear.[157]

Amidala's voice was screaming as the sinister black labyrinth of evil that had once been the great warrior's arm turned back upon the source and morphed what remained of the great hunter into an eerie face—the face of Darth Vader, whom Skywalker would soon become.[157]

When Skywalker recovered from this vision, he happened upon a Techno Union laboratory where scientists were experimenting on the Nelvaanian warriors, developing them into brutish drones with cybernetic blaster cannons in their arms. With the help of a Nelvaanian who was not yet completely transformed, he convinced the drones to assist him in destroying the factory, an act that cost him his robotic arm. Many of the scientists tried to escape, but Skywalker caught up with and killed them in rage. In a display of support, the Nelvaanian men tore off their artificial arms as well.[158]

Final days of war

Rescuing the Chancellor

Shortly before the war's end, the Battle of Cato Neimoidia handed Skywalker and Kenobi a valuable clue to the identity of the mysterious Darth Sidious: Nute Gunray's mechno-chair. This device carried a unique holotransceiver that bore intelligence capable of leading the Republic forces to their ultimate quarry, the ever-elusive Sidious. Mace Windu took up the lead on Coruscant, while Skywalker and Kenobi tracked the lead in the Outer Rim Territories. Adventures for both teams waited as the trail in the Outer Rim led back to the Works on Coruscant, just in time for an attack on Coruscant by the Confederacy, causing Skywalker and Kenobi to rush back to Coruscant after their visit to Tythe. Back on Coruscant, just as the identity of Darth Sidious loomed ever closer, the battle overhead delayed and dissolved the investigation. Windu joined the battle, clashing with General Grievous. Grievous escaped, although he was injured, his gut sack crushed by Windu, and captured Chancellor Palpatine, taking him to his flagship, the Invisible Hand.[159]

Before the Separatist armada was able to flee Coruscant, however, Skywalker and Kenobi finally returned from the Outer Rim in an attempt to rescue the "captive" Chancellor. Moving into the thick of the battle, they stormed the Confederacy's flagship in their Eta-2 Actis-class interceptors. The two Jedi fought their way through the ship until they reached the General's Quarters atop the command tower, where Palpatine was being held hostage. As the two Jedi attempted to free him, Count Dooku entered the room escorted by two super battle droids to confront the two Jedi.[10]

Skywalker stands over the decapitated body of Count Dooku.

Unlike their first encounter with Dooku on Geonosis three years prior, Skywalker and Kenobi fought together against him in a coordinated duel, until the Sith Lord used the Force to choke Kenobi. He then simultaneously back-kicked Skywalker and used the Force to throw Kenobi across the room, rendering the Jedi Master unconscious and pinning him with a piece of a walkway dislodged by the Force. Skywalker fought on, eventually losing control of his emotions as Dooku taunted him. He began to unleash all his fear, anger and hatred, beating away at Dooku's Makashi with his own Djem So mastery. The short duel ended abruptly when Skywalker sliced off Dooku's hands, rendering the Sith Lord helpless; an act of vengeance from their first duel when Skywalker lost his right arm to Dooku.[10]

Pleased with the outcome, Palpatine urged Skywalker to kill Dooku. After hesitating to give in to the Chancellor's wishes, Skywalker, who had two lightsabers (his own and Dooku's) crossed at the Sith's neck, cut off his head, killing him instantly. Skywalker did not know at the time that Palpatine was Darth Sidious, nor did he know that the Dark Lord had chosen him to be his apprentice, and was merely using Dooku as a placeholder until he could be turned. Nonetheless, Skywalker immediately regretted his un-Jedi-like action, citing that the murder of a defenseless foe was not the Jedi way. Palpatine, however, eased Skywalker's conscience by claiming that such an action of violence was "only natural" in such a situation—Skywalker vowed revenge on Dooku for taking his arm three years ago—and that, as Skywalker himself had confided to him, the young Jedi already was familiar with murder from his encounter with the Sand People that killed his mother, Shmi.[10]

Skywalker meets General Grievous for the first time

Skywalker then freed Palpatine from his bonds and escaped the Quarters, carrying an unconscious Kenobi on his back, ignoring the Chancellor's orders to leave the Jedi Master behind in order to avoid carrying the extra weight. Their escape was short lived, however, as they were soon captured and brought before General Grievous on the bridge of the vessel, where Skywalker and the General met face to face at last, after having clashed indirectly many times during the war. Grievous commented that he found Skywalker to be too young for a man of his reputation, to which the Jedi smugly responded that the General was "shorter than [Skywalker] expected." Then, at Skywalker's command R2-D2 created a distraction, giving the two Jedi enough time to regain their lightsabers, cut off their binders and attack the general's bodyguards and droids. Grievous eventually managed to escape the Jedi and deploy all the escape pods as his flagship began to plummet to the galactic capital below, drawn by the planet's gravity. Skywalker managed to pilot what was left of the ship to a crash landing on a platform in an abandoned industrial area on Coruscant.[10]

Fall to the dark side

"Skywalker was one of the Jedi Order's most skilled generals.""What happened to him?""I killed him."

Upon his return to Coruscant, Skywalker was reunited with his wife. After a brief greeting and mentioning of Anakin's potential death, Padmé informed him of her pregnancy, which he was overjoyed to hear. They decided to keep it a secret from the Jedi Council as well as the Senate for both of their sakes. Later on, he was troubled by visions of Amidala dying in childbirth. To save his wife, Skywalker desired to look upon and research holocrons of learned Masters, holocrons that were restricted by all but the Jedi Masters. When Palpatine made Skywalker his representative on the Jedi Council, he naturally assumed that made him a Master, thus giving him access to the restricted holocrons. However, the other Jedi on the Council reluctantly accepted Skywalker's placement, and they denied him the rank of Jedi Master, infuriating and frustrating him. After the session with the other masters, a tense Skywalker expressed his incensed opinion to Kenobi on the matter, working around the fact he needed to be a Master to save Amidala.[10]

Palpatine tells Skywalker the Story of Darth Plagueis.

Further severing his trust in them, the Council urged Skywalker to keep tabs on Palpatine, although Kenobi was against this decision. Realizing that this was the only reason why the Council accepted Palpatine's placement, Skywalker began to slowly lose his respect for the members of the governing body, a mistrust and plaguing uncertainty that he revealed to his wife. Skywalker sought Yoda's counsel about his intense, prophetic visions that someone close to him would die, though he did not reveal the identity of the person in question. Yoda, unaware of the intensity of Skywalker's love for Amidala, told him to "train yourself to let go… of everything you fear to lose." Skywalker was unsatisfied with this response.[10]

In another meeting with the Council, the masters were informed by Skywalker that Palpatine received a lead that Grievous was in the Utapau system. After being declined by the rest of the Council to go to Utapau to encounter Grievous, Skywalker sat back and listened as it was decided that Kenobi would be the chosen Jedi to go on this adventure. Just prior to Kenobi's departure for Utapau to capture and/or kill General Grievous, Skywalker attempted to come along, feeling Kenobi needed him to come along. Agreeing that he would need Skywalker's help, Kenobi declined Skywalker's request, as he didn't want to take the risk that the lead was a "Wild Bantha chase." Skywalker also promptly apologized for his earlier behavior to Kenobi, as he was grateful for him being his mentor, but just had frustrations. Unbeknownst to either of them at that time, this was the last time Skywalker and Kenobi would converse with each other as friends… or at least as fellow Jedi. Anakin also began suspecting due to visions showing Kenobi being near Amidala at the time of her apparent death that Amidala may have been having an extramarital affair with Kenobi. Either that, or Anakin was starting to think that Kenobi was beginning to realize about the secret marriage between him and Amidala, as well as their soon-to-be child.[10]

As he continued to meet with Palpatine, the Chancellor slowly began to plant the seeds of the dark side in Skywalker. Playing to his fear of Amidala's death, he told Skywalker the story of a Sith Lord, Darth Plagueis, who was powerful enough to stop others from dying. Knowing this would interest Skywalker with the current situation that he was in, Palpatine continued to inform Skywalker of the secret dark power that Jedi were not capable of teaching him. As Anakin was letting off steam that he had revolving around the Council and their decisions, he met with Palpatine and began to share with him his frustrations. Feeling like this was the correct time, Palpatine revealed his true self, and offered Skywalker the chance to learn the ways of the dark side from him and use the power he had to save Amidala. Having his lightsaber drawn, Skywalker, out of instinct, contemplated killing Palpatine on the spot as soon as he learned his true identity, but decided against it after Palpatine implied that killing him would result in Skywalker turning to the dark side and ruin his chances of saving Amidala. Skywalker instead fled to Mace Windu and promptly reported to him Palpatine's identity, though he regretted his choice as Palpatine's words tortured his mind. Windu, after instructing Skywalker to remain at the Jedi Temple, went, with three other Jedi—Agen Kolar, Saesee Tiin, and Kit Fisto—to arrest the Chancellor. Sidious fought with the Jedi, slaying three of them almost immediately and leaving only Windu. He and Sidious continued to fight until the Jedi Master gained the advantage. Back at the Jedi Temple, meanwhile, Skywalker brooded over an overwhelming thought: with Sidious' death, he would lose the chance to save his wife from the fate in his dreams. This torturing time was what allowed Anakin to decide on leaving the Council chambers and going to the scene of the arrest.[10]

A fateful choice

"Twisted by the dark side, young Skywalker has become. The boy you trained, gone he is… consumed by Darth Vader."

Tormented by thoughts of Amidala dying without the benefit of Sidious' knowledge, Skywalker rushed out of the Temple, grabbing an airspeeder and hurrying to the Chancellor's office. Uncertain of what was going to happen, Skywalker made his way to the sanctuary of Palpatine, where he was supposed to be arrested. Coincidentally, Skywalker arrived just in time to see Windu standing over the disarmed Sidious, with his lightsaber held at the Chancellor's throat.[10]

Sidious, upon seeing Skywalker, claimed that the Jedi were indeed trying to take over the Republic, and proceeded to attack Windu with Force lightning while pleading with Skywalker for help, trying to sway him to save his life. Barely managing to deflect Sidious' lightning, Windu shouted at Skywalker not to listen. As Sidious' own lightning deflected back onto his face, the Sith Lord went through a physical transformation as he struggled to intensify his dark side powers with his own life force. His face became hideously deformed and his eyes turned yellow. The true Sith that was in Sidious was now becoming more and more evident in Palpatine. Windu managed to reflect the lightning that was being shot at him and claimed that it was time to kill Sidious and end the Sith once and for all. However, Skywalker confronted him, stating that Palpatine must stand trial, and that to execute him was not the way of the Jedi. Windu, stating that despite normal procedures, Palpatine was far too dangerous to be left alive. With Sidious pleading one last time, Windu ignored Skywalker and raised his lightsaber, preparing to kill Sidious, but in haste and rashness, the panicked Skywalker drew his lightsaber and severed Windu's right hand, leaving him defenseless and in agonizing pain. Before Windu could respond, Sidious took this attack of opportunity to use his Force lightning ability and send the Jedi Master through the shattered window, his electrified body falling to the ground.[10]

Upon realizing the full significance of what he had just done, Skywalker was stricken with guilt and remorse and questioned his actions, but was too emotionally drained and dazed to resist Sidious, who stated that he was fulfilling his destiny. Knowing that Skywalker was emotionally unstable, Sidious further encouraged Skywalker to embrace the dark side and become his apprentice, allowing for Sidious to teach him all that he knows. Anakin now realized Sidious had been manipulating him—and the galaxy—all along. However, due to his role in killing Windu and his desire to keep Amidala alive, there was no prospect of him returning to the Jedi Order. Overcome by emotion and distress, Skywalker agreed to do anything Sidious desired; all he wanted was to save Amidala's life and his help to do so. While saying that to cheat death was a power that only one had achieved, Sidious promised Skywalker that, together, they could find the secret, tacitly admitting that he did not have the ability to hold back death, but Skywalker was too blind to see it. Anakin Skywalker then bowed on one knee and pledged himself to the Sith Order, which queued Sidious to endow him with his new Sith name: Darth Vader.[10]

Knightfall

Palpatine assured Vader that every Jedi was an enemy of the state, including Kenobi, and it would be endless civil war unless the Jedi were destroyed. Vader was ordered by the Sith Master that if he wanted to gain enough power in the dark side to save Amidala, he was to lead the 501st Legion into the Jedi Temple and kill every Jedi inside as to catch them off balance and begin the purge that was to come. Vader did this without question, slaughtering venerable Jedi and younglings alike. His personal motives, however, were because he felt the Jedi Order would never understand his reasons for his involvement in Mace Windu's death, feeling he had gone too far and would never be accepted back. Vader even killed some Jedi Masters such as Cin Drallig. Some of the Jedi children even approached him, unaware that he was to be their destroyer. The attack resulted in smoke rising from the pillars of the Jedi Temple, easily visible from the Senate building. This worried Amidala and struck her with fear, not knowing whether or not Anakin was okay. After coming back to his home to assure his wife that things would be okay and that all he had to do was destroy the remaining Separatist leaders on Mustafar, Anakin finished his first mission of wiping out the Jedi at the temple. This would be the start of the Great Jedi Purge. He also secretly planned to overthrow Sidious shortly thereafter to bring order back to the Galaxy.[10]

Battle between brothers

"You turned her against me!""You have done that yourself!""YOU WILL NOT TAKE HER FROM ME!""Your anger and your lust for power have already done that! You have allowed this Dark Lord to twist your mind until now… until now, you have become the very thing you swore to destroy!''"

Soon after the completion of Vader's assault on the Jedi Temple, Vader returned to Amidala to console and inform her of the current situation with the Republic and the Jedi. Leaving her distraught and confused, Vader continued his mission by flying to Mustafar, where he was to kill the Separatist Council.[10]

Vader traveled to Mustafar and used Sidious' codes to pass through the Separatists' security. Vader left R2-D2 with his fighter so that his actions were neither witnessed nor recorded. He entered the room in which the Separatist leaders were and closed all of the doors, preventing any council member from escaping. At first, several of the leaders warmly welcomed him, before they recognized his overly publicized face. In their surprise, the corrupted Vader then began his massacre of the Separatist Council.[10]

After murdering all the members, along with their aides and guards in cold blood, he turned to the last one left—Nute Gunray, Sidious' former ally who had invaded and occupied Naboo before being defeated by Skywalker thirteen years before, and who had tried to murder his wife on several occasions during the Clone Wars. Before he died, Gunray pleaded with Vader, claiming that Lord Sidious had promised they would be left in peace. Despite Gunray's pleas, Vader proceeded to kill him. His mission accomplished, the Sith Lord silently exited the room, awaiting further instruction.[10]

Outside, overlooking the turbulent volcanic terrain, Vader contemplated his transformation and convinced himself that all he had done was for the benefit of the Republic, although he was still guilt-ridden for his actions, shedding tears of remorse. Meanwhile, he remembered his Master's order to communicate with him as soon as the enemy was defeated. During this transmission, he thought of how soon he planned for their positions to be changed, and how soon he would kill the Dark Lord—just as soon as he discovered a way to preserve Amidala's life. Darth Sidious ordered Vader to send a message to the Trade Federation ships that the entire Separatist droid army be shut down immediately before cutting off communication. Seeing his wife's ship arrive, he left the bunker to meet her.[10]

Upon reuniting with Amidala, Vader discovered that Kenobi had revealed Vader's dark deeds in the Jedi Temple to her. Though he did not deny the accusation, Vader maintained that Kenobi was only attempting to turn her against him. Amidala tried to reason with him, convince him to retire from public service with her to raise their child, but Vader countered with his plan to overthrow Palpatine and set the both of them up in his place. Shocked and horrified, Amidala refused, stating that he had changed and was going down a path she could not follow. She pleaded with him to come back, promising she still loved him. However, unknown to Amidala, Kenobi had stowed away on her ship to find Vader, and at that moment he appeared on the ship's ramp.[10]

Upon seeing his former master, Vader incorrectly assumed Amidala had betrayed him and brought Kenobi to kill him. Overwhelmed by his anger and rage, he lashed out with the Force, choking his wife into unconsciousness, ignoring her tearful pleas of innocence. Kenobi also tried to reason with his former pupil, but Vader refused to listen, too consumed by hate. After Kenobi resolved he had no choice but to fight, Vader told him he would try, and leaped to attack his former Master and oldest friend.[10]

Vader and Kenobi fought an intense duel throughout the mining complex and down the river of lava outside. The battle ended on the banks of a lava river, where Kenobi leaped to safety in order to claim the high ground, pleading with Vader to concede defeat and abandon the fight. Goaded on by his overwhelming pride and seething rage, Vader ignored his fatal tactical disadvantage and attempted to make the same jump, blade angled for the kill, only to be severely maimed and immobilized by Kenobi's blade, which severed both of his legs and his left arm.[10]

Physically crippled, Vader tried to claw his way up the talus using only his remaining prosthetic limb, but succeeded only in sliding closer to the lava river. As he did this, Kenobi and Vader exchanged their parting words, Vader screaming his undying hatred for Kenobi, while Kenobi, close to tears, expressed his regret and disappointment that Anakin, the man he had loved like a brother, had so spectacularly failed in his destiny to bring balance to the Force.[10]

Vader suffers severe burns after his defeat on Mustafar.

Shortly after, the heat of the lava ignited Vader's clothing, burning his body severely. He was nearly immolated as he slid down to the edge of the burning lava riverbank. Kenobi retrieved Skywalker's lightsaber from nearby and left Vader for dead. He would keep this lightsaber until 0 BBY. As the flames began to subside, Vader kept himself alive with the Force, his unbreakable will, and sheer hatred; clawing his way back up the bank with his still-intact mechanical arm, struggling against his extreme injuries.[10]

Vader being carried on a medical capsule from his defeat.

Darth Sidious, now the newly-declared Emperor of the Galactic Empire, soon arrived and found his injured apprentice. He returned Vader to Coruscant via shuttle and repaired the damage to his body through intensive cybernetic enhancements at the Surgical Reconstruction Center. The Emperor ordered the medical droids to keep him awake during the agonizing surgery so the pain would fuel his rage, and therefore his power. His new robotic extremities were updated versions of the same technology that transformed General Grievous into a cyborg.[10] Though he would still remain extremely powerful, Sidious knew that Vader's injuries had robbed him of much of his Force potential. In addition, both Vader and one of the medical droids, DD-13/HK, speculated that Vader's reconstruction may have been deliberately shoddy; a ploy by Sidious to prevent Vader from rebelling against him.[160] Upon his revival as a cyborg, Vader questioned his Master about Amidala. Sidious told him that he had killed his wife in his anger.[10] In addition, Vader's former identity, Anakin Skywalker, was deleted from various databanks upon the reconstruction being completed.[160]

Darth Vader is encased within the shell that will hold him for the rest of his life.

Overwhelmed by his despair in the belief he had killed Amidala and their unborn child, which fulfilled his prophetic dreams of her death, Vader destroyed the medical droids and severely damaged the facility through the Force. He broke his bindings on the operating table and struggled to walk under the sheer weight of his new prostheses and armor. The only purpose that remained in Vader's life was his service to the new Emperor.[10]

The personality of Darth Vader became even more distinctive from Anakin Skywalker's due to the great physical and psychological damage that completely changed both his appearance and his character. His armor limited his vision, restrained his movement, and caused extreme frustration for Vader (in the early years, at least), but he would eventually retool his entire fighting style to make up for the lack of mobility that his armor imposed on him. As Darth Vader, Skywalker became a powerful asset to the Empire, serving as an enforcer, Jedi hunter, and Supreme Commander of the Imperial Fleet of Palpatine's New Order. To cover up for Anakin Skywalker's involvement in the destruction of the Jedi Temple, rumors circulated that Skywalker had died trying to protect the children from Vader and the stormtroopers, which were widely accepted due to few people being aware that Vader and Skywalker were the same person.[161]

Serving the Emperor

Now in possession of a great amount of power, Vader began settling into his position as Palpatine's enforcer. However, several members of the Empire viewed Vader as being mad human wreckage.[162] Although in possession of great wealth, Vader allowed himself few comforts. Among those were his personal retreat on Coruscant and Bast Castle on Vjun. The 501st Legion, the stormtrooper division he led in the extermination of the Jedi at the Jedi Temple, became his personal guard. The actions they undertook in Vader's name over the course of the Civil War earned them the nickname of "Vader's Fist". Vader piloted a black-hued Eta-2 Actis-class interceptor during some of his early missions for Palpatine as the Great Jedi Purge continued, sometimes flanked by Alpha-3 Nimbus-class V-wing starfighters. His personal command ship during this time was the Imperator-class Star DestroyerExactor.

One of his first missions following the end of the Clone Wars, Vader was sent to Serenno where he summoned the heads of the great houses and their oldest sons to a meeting. There Vader branded them as traitors for supporting the former Count Dooku and the separatists, demanding that they must answer to their act. Despite the protests of the heads of the houses, Vader gave them a choice; each heir to each house would assume the title of the house by killing the current title holder or they would all die. Vader believed that the houses of Serenno would be cleansed by their blood. Vader watched as Rodas Borgin and the other heirs killed their fathers. Vader then stood by as each new head swore fealty to the new head of House Dooku- Count Adan Dooku.[163]

One of the most notable missions undertaken by Vader was to the planet Honoghr, which had been devastated by the Separatist toxin Trihexalophine1138 during the Clone Wars. He promised the native Noghri that the Empire would restore Honoghr's ecosystem, in exchange for their service to the Empire as assassins.[164] Vader would later use Honoghr as a final training ground for Galen Marek, Tao, and Ennix Devian, the former two being his secret apprentices and the latter under the Emperor's orders of refining the Imperial soldier.

At an unknown point, he also participated in the Reconquest of the Rim in one of the conflicts at the Outer Rim.[165] At another unknown point, he also briefly re-encountered C-3PO at the Emperor's Ball, although the latter, not recognizing his former creator due to a memory wipe ordered by Bail Organa (and presumably not being privy to the information that the towering, armored cyborg was Anakin even without the memory wipe), initially mistook Vader for a new line of guard droid. Despite this mistake, Vader did not destroy C-3PO, presumably because of lingering memories of his past self, but instead sentenced him to a year of labor as a preschool attendant at the Imperial Palace.[166][167]

Murkhana

One of Vader's earliest missions was to journey to Murkhana to deal with traitorous Clone troopers who had facilitated the escape of their former Jedi commanders, rather than comply with Order 66. Greeted by Clone Commander Salvo, Vader wasted no time, confronting the traitorous Ion Team. Though they attempted to fight back, the commandos were ultimately no match for Vader, and were forced to flee, though Vader managed to kill two of them.[168]

However, immediately afterward, Vader was confronted by the Jedi Bol Chatak, who had disguised herself as a former CIS mercenary and hid in the P.O.W. lines nearby. Chatak wanted to repay the Ion team for saving her life by removing Vader from the hunt, attacking the Sith Lord. Though she managed to inflict a wound on Vader's forearm, he ultimately brought her down, cutting off her sword arm and then decapitating her. However, defeating Chatak was fairly difficult for Vader, as he was still adapting to his life-support armor. The armor's cumbersome weight left his dueling abilities heavily impaired, his previously formidable technique reduced to a stilted and crude shadow, consisting primarily of vertical power-blows and heavy chops. In the end, he only brought down Chatak thanks to his superior height and reach, as well as the increased stamina the suit afforded him. As he repaired his damaged arm, he lamented that, before his transformation, only extremely adept duelists like Ventress and Dooku had ever been able to wound him. Chatak was the first Jedi Vader killed with his new Sith lightsaber, which had been constructed only a few weeks prior.[168]

However, Chatak's comrades—Roan Shryne and Olee Starstone—were still able to escape. Remaining hidden in the P.O.W. lines while Chatak was killed, they managed to break ranks after Vader departed, fleeing to the capital city of Murkhana and meeting with one of Shryne's criminal contacts—the crime boss Cash Garrulan. Unfortunately for them, Vader hadn't given up the hunt; confronting Garrulan, Vader managed to deduce the location of the Jedi by following the opposite course of action suggested by Garrulan.[168]

Pursuing the Jedi above Murkhana in his starfighter, he unluckily missed them when their ship attached to a hyperspace ring left by Garrulan as he fled. Despite killing one of the Jedi and exposing Garrulan as a traitor, Vader considered the mission a failure.[168]

Kessel

Vader confronting the Jedi gathered on Kessel

"WHERE IS OBI-WAN KENOBI?!""Not here, Sith. His name baited your trap.""The first one to tell me where to find him lives. The rest of you die."

As the weeks passed, Vader became increasingly fixated on Kenobi, seeking revenge for his defeat on Mustafar. Vader tortured the Jedi Dama Montalvo in hopes of learning where Kenobi was hiding, but he became enraged when Montalvo refused, and broke the Jedi's neck just as Palpatine entered the torture chamber. Reprimanding his apprentice, Palpatine ordered Vader not to become obsessed with the Jedi, but when the Emperor departed, one of Vader's troops reported that surviving Jedi were gathering for a meeting on Kessel, and Kenobi was supposed to be among them. However, Vader was walking into a trap—Master Shadday Potkin was the source of Vader's information, and she had lured him there to kill him with the help of her fellow Jedi.[169]

Pursuing his quarry into an abandoned spice mine, Vader burst into the chamber where the Jedi awaited and demanded to know where Kenobi was, warning the Jedi that the first to tell him Kenobi's location would live. Impaling the Jedi Sia-Lan Wezz when she charged him, Vader, removed her hand with another lightsaber strike before he sent Master Koffi Arana flying with the Force. Vader struck down the Nikto Jedi Ma'kis'shaalas, but he was sent staggering when Jastus Farr's double-bladed lightsaber sliced across the back of his armor, and he leapt out of the way as a recovered Arana charged him from behind. Landing atop a nearby crane, Vader crossed blades briefly with Tsui Choi as the diminutive Jedi Master leapt over him, and Vader's saber was deactivated when he engaged Potkin and her cortosis blade.[169]

However, Vader simply tossed aside his lightsaber and gripped Potkin with the Force, pulling her into his grasp before breaking her neck and taking her cortosis blade. Leaping down from the crane, the Sith Lord once again questioned the Jedi as to Kenobi's location as he deactivated the blades of Roblio Darté, Farr, and Arana—but the nimble Choi soon sliced off Vader's hand and Bultar Swan delivered a strike to his leg, sending him stumbling backwards, and the Sith offered to surrender. Vader's offer drove Arana to kill Butlar Swan for her lightsaber when she refused to allow him to commit murder, and Vader dispatched Arana with the cortosis blade in his own severed hand by sending it flying into his chest with the Force.[169]

Summoning Arana's lightsaber to his hand, Vader once again demanded Kenobi's location as he advanced upon the three remaining Jedi, who began to pelter him with rocks and debris until he was forced to fall to his knees. Fortunately for the Sith, Vader's troops arrived just then and opened fire on the Jedi, killing Farr before the other two Jedi were able to shield themselves. Master Choi attempted to sacrifice himself so Darté could escape, but Vader stopped Choi's Force leap with telekinesis and pinned him in midair before Vader's troops, who eliminated both Jedi—but in his last moments, Choi sent his saber flying toward Vader and scored a hit across the Sith Lord's visor. The troopers relayed the Emperor's request for Vader to return to Coruscant, where he admitted his disobedience to his Sith Master but was surprised to learn that the Emperor had spread the rumor that Vader had killed a group of fifty Jedi on Kessel in order to drive the remaining Jedi underground and spread fear. Acknowledging Palpatine's reminders that his fixation on Kenobi was a weakness, Vader received repairs for his damaged armor and continued to serve the fledgling Empire.[169]

New Plympto

Days later, after observing Palpatine's rule of the Empire (including the new Emperor distancing himself from Senator Braxis from a local political dispute despite promising aid, confirmation about the results of his purge, and his acquiescing resources from the former Separatist worlds), he awaited a new assignment from Emperor Palpatine. He also underwent a debriefing on the Cleansing of New Plympto, which had the Emperor issue a detachment from Vader's 501st Legion to the fighting to end it. In the aftermath of the 501st Legion's victory over the Nosaurian resistance cell, and promised CommanderVill that he was certain the Emperor had a plan for them when he questioned what will be their purpose after the conflict. However, the Sith Lord grew despondent when Vill admitted that their transport was redirected by the Emperor's orders and tasked with selling the surviving Nosaurian women and children into the slave market on Orvax IV, due to Vader's past as a former slave on Tatooine. He was disturbed to the extent that he abruptly ended his participation in the debriefing and did not fall asleep. He later informed Palpatine of what he had learned, to which Palpatine assured him that the Imperial method was "different." Ultimately, unable to resist the power of the Emperor despite his misgivings, Vader oversaw the slave trade on New Plympto, with his troubled memories keeping him company.[170]

Underlevel duel and dealing with Otakon XII and Vaklin

Sometime afterwards, Vader was set by Palpatine to attack the Jedi survivor Sha Koon, under the pretense of humoring her request of becoming Palpatine's Sith apprentice, although both were not fooled. Vader then confronted her in the underlevels of the former Jedi Temple. Upon arrival, he was attacked by creatures controlled by Koon known as the Cthons, briefly being overwhelmed by an electromagnetic net that crippled his armor, although he broke out of the trap. He then engaged Koon in a short but intense duel after taking care of the Cthons, which resulted in him killing the Kel Dor Jedi Master. Although he believed he had killed the last Jedi, his victory nonetheless ended up hollow due to sensing that she had been at peace at the time of her death, and reported as much to his master. Unbeknownst to either of them, the reason she had been at peace was because she foresaw Vader's redemption and the recreation of the Jedi Order.[171]

Nonetheless, Vader was later assigned to defend an AT-AT production facility on the planet of Otavon XII from the Ovoni resistance during a battle there. Ultimately, the battle had been a failure due to the Ovoni and their commanders, Order 66 survivors Hylon and Dendro, deliberately exposing their survival to Vader to lure him away from the facility long enough for the Ovoni to completely destroy the plant. Vader as a result was forced to remain on the planet to contemplate his failure by the Emperor as his punishment.[172]

Some time afterwards, Vader ended up travelling to the planet Vaklin to deal with the Vaklin insurgency, caused by pro-Jedi sympathizers due to the Jedi's connections to the planet. Vader managed to kill a Jedi Master as well as have his apprentice imprisoned for four days. However, the Imperials soon met some harassment from the Vaklin's side, via the Jedi Cho'na Bene. After a bombing occurred at the base, Vader, angered at this development, considered bombing the civilian centers as revenge, although Palpatine declined, citing that the planet and its subjects were too valuable to afford a bombardment. Vader instead orchestrated the destruction of all pro-Jedi monuments, also insuring that Bene was publicly executed by clone troopers when the Vaklin, due to Imperial propaganda-based schooling, refused to aid Bene.[173]

Meeting on Alderaan

Sometime afterward, the Emperor sent Vader to Alderaan to retrieve dissident senator Fang Zar, who had sought refuge with Bail Organa in the wake of the Empire's formation. Accompanied by Sate Pestage, he confronted Organa before searching the Senator's palace. Using his cybernetically augmented sight and hearing to his advantage, Vader came upon Zar, who was being extracted from Alderaan by a smuggler team, led by Roan Shryne.[168]

Since escaping Murkhana, Shryne and Olee Starstone had joined the smuggler crew captained by Shryne's mother; Jula. Their new crew had since been hired by Fang Zar to extract him before the Imperials did. Pursuing the Jedi and the smugglers through the palace and out onto the grounds, Vader ultimately brought down Zar just as he was boarding the smuggler's ship; the Drunk Dancer; by throwing his lightsaber into the hapless senator.[168]

Zar succumbed to his injuries shortly afterward. As such, Vader viewed the mission as a failure, as he had been tasked to retrieve Zar alive.[168]

Devastation of Kashyyyk

Returning to Coruscant to hone his skills, Vader was given a dressing down by the Emperor, who was displeased that Zar had been killed when Vader's task had been to bring him in alive. When Vader grew angry with the Emperor's comments, Sidious challenged Vader to kill him. He then threatened Vader with Force lightning, as the Emperor evidently was well aware that Vader's suit was vulnerable to electrical discharges. However, Vader retorted that he would not kill his Master until he had learned everything Sidious knew, for he recognized that the Emperor's teachings constituted "the path to power". Well pleased with this response, Sidious informed Vader that the rogue Jedi he was hunting had been spotted heading to Kashyyyk. Devoting himself to hunting these Jedi, Vader began dealings with his old ally Wilhuff Tarkin, who had discovered a suspicious vessel traveling toward Kashyyyk. The two deduced that the vessel was carrying the Jedi, but Tarkin convinced Vader to allow it to reach Kashyyyk, so they could use the vessel's presence on the planet as an excuse to attack and occupy the world. Tarkin's motivation was the enslavement of the Wookiee race for use as manual laborers in the construction of the Death Star, which had encountered unexpected delays in construction due to a shortage of skilled laborers.[168]

Meeting with the various Imperial admirals who would command the invasion, Vader overruled their wishes to bombard the planet from orbit, as the goal was the capture of the Wookiees, not their destruction. However, his true motivation was to allow himself to hunt the Jedi planetside. As the attack began, the Imperial forces were initially crushed, due to the Wookiee's ingenious use of retrofitted civilian vehicles and captured Separatist war material left over from the Clone Wars. As Vader approached the city of Kachirho aboard his shuttle to attack the Jedi holed up there, he was contacted by the admirals and informed of the rapidly deteriorating situation. Not only were the Wookiess holding off the Imperial assault, but they were evacuating their civilians deep into Kashyyyk's forests where they would be extremely difficult to capture. On the advice of his Clone Commander Appo, he begrudgingly ordered an orbital bombardment of all Wookiee cities, but with orders to save Kachirho for last, as he would be on the ground there. Landing on a platform high up in Kachirho, Vader and his cadre of Stormtroopers disembarked and began fighting their way through the Wookiee warriors. Where before the Jedi and Wookiees had been holding off the Imperial forces, Vader now began cutting the Wookiee warriors down with impunity.[168]

In order to prevent further Wookiee casualties, the Jedi revealed themselves. Olee Starstone had since broken off from Roan Shryne when he joined the crew of the Drunk Dancer, and was now leading a ragtag group of surviving Jedi. Vader ordered the Stormtroopers to continue attacking the Wookiees, leaving the Jedi to him. Siadem Forte and Iwo Kulka quickly engaged Vader and attempted to unbalance him by using radically different lightsaber forms. However, though he was not yet completely healed, Vader's technique had improved drastically since his duel with Bol Chatak. As observed by Olee Starstone, Vader's speed and agility were considerably greater and, instead of the formless vertical power blows he had utilized on Murkhana, his technique now borrowed elements from all lightsaber styles. With his new form, Vader easily held the two Jedi off, utilizing precision bladework and swift power attacks to put an end to their fancy twirling, disrupting their momentum and sending them reeling. Vader decapitated the two Jedi, and quickly disabled Jambe Lu, Nam Poorf and Klossi Anno.[168]

Olee Starstone was suddenly alone against the Sith Lord. Starstone attempted to bring down Vader with a sudden offensive flurry, but realized that Vader was merely allowing her to vent. Breaking off to reassess her strategy, she unwittingly allowed Vader to seize the offensive. However, before he could finish Starstone, Vader's Stormtroopers were suddenly gunned down by a smuggler vessel that just appeared. Roan Shryne leaped off the Drunk Dancer, summoning Siadem Forte's lightsaber to his hand and beheading Appo. Confronting Vader, Shryne provided Starstone and the other surviving Jedi with a chance to escape, a chance Vader informed them would be foolish to pass up.[168]

Darth Vader in a fighting stance

As the two fought, Shryne managed to hold his own against Vader's relentless assault, even scoring a few minor hits. However, their battle was interrupted by the Imperial orbital bombardment. Though they both survived, Vader's shuttle was destroyed by the flak. As Vader drove Shryne back with heavy power blows, Shryne deduced that the chest-mounted control-panel on Vader's suit was a weak point and as such, realized that Vader's style gave higher priority to protecting his center than his limbs. With this knowledge, Shryne went on the offensive, scoring a superficial hit on Vader's lower left leg which Shryne attributed as much to luck as to skill. Afterwards, the two exchanged a small verbal back-and-forth until Vader deactivated his weapon, surprising Shryne. Vader then began telekinetically ripping apart the wooden ramps in the Wroshyr tree in which the two were fighting. Using the Force, Vader flung the debris at the hapless Jedi in a continual barrage. Shryne surrendered himself to the Force in an attempt to block the onslaught of Force-propelled objects with his lightsaber, and for a short time was successful in doing so. However, Vader incrementally ramped up the intensity of his assault, throwing steadily larger chunks of wood at Shryne from all sides, faster than the Jedi could stop them. Shryne was struck by numerous planks and sharp wooden pegs, and was knocked from the suspension bridge on which the two were dueling.[168]

Fallen to a floor below, Shryne lay critically injured. Knowing Shryne would not survive his injuries, Vader chose not to finish the Jedi. Instead, in answer to Shryne's questions, he revealed that Palpatine was in fact a Sith Lord, and that he himself had formerly been Anakin Skywalker. His bloodlust sated, he now simply hoped to allow Shryne to die in misery, knowing that the Jedi Order had been betrayed by one of it's own. Despite these revelations however, Shryne died at peace, having foreseen the eventual restoration of balance to the Force before his death. The defeat of Shryne firmed Vader's belief in the power of the dark side, greatly increasing his confidence in his abilities and reducing his emotional difficulties with his armor and prosthetic limbs. In addition, it also served to temper his hatred of the Jedi Order. Whereas before killing Shryne he had obsessed over hunting down the survivors of Order 66, afterwards he came to view them as neither different nor more important than any other group that would oppose the New Order. The Empire won the Battle of Kashyyyk, and Tarkin's plan to capture the Wookiees for use as slave labor was successful. In the aftermath of the battle, Darth Vader's existence and position as Palpatine's enforcer received public announcement, much to the dismay of Obi-Wan Kenobi.[168]

Muur Talisman

Vader battling Celeste Morne for possession of the Muur Talisman

Aware that he could not bring down Palpatine and become the new Sith Master on his own, Vader began a covert search for an apprentice, or something that could increase his own power. Eventually, he started trailing an ancient Sith artifact known as the Muur Talisman. After interrogating a sentient named Janks, he learned of a mysterious crate that Janks' ship, the Uhumele, was carrying. Vader contacted Fane Peturri, a well known historian, and set a trap for the Uhumele's crew. Vader ambushed the group on a remote moon and discovered the crate in their possession was none other than Dreypa's Oubliette, an artifact believed to contain the Muur Talisman and the Jedi who wore it.

Vader opened the oubliette, releasing Jedi Shadow Celeste Morne from her 4,000 year sleep. When Morne learned the Sith were in control of the galaxy, she immediately attacked Vader. The Sith Lord easily held her off, and taunted her with an offer of apprenticeship under him. She vehemently refused, and Vader began considering the idea of taking the talisman to increase his own power. However, he remained wary of the idea, concerned that even if he used it to destroy Sidious, he would become enslaved to the artifact, ultimately just trading one master for another.

However, before Vader could make a decision, Morne took action. Unwilling to let the Sith Lord be possessed by the spirit of Karness Muur, Morne used the talisman to turn all humans within the vicinity into rakghouls. Taken by surprise by the turn of events, Vader retreated to his ship and departed. While he considered this expedition a failure, he refused to give up his search for an apprentice.[174]

Bandomeer

Returning to Coruscant, Vader concealed the incident from Sidious, a reasonably simple task, as there were almost no witnesses save Morne, who was stranded on the moon, and the Uhumele crew, who were on the run. However, to his shock, he learned that a Jedi named Dass Jennir was once part of the Uhumele's crew. Vader's master assured him that he need not be concerned with the Jedi, who were scattered and divided, for Sidious had a plan for them. The elder Sith Lord then sent Vader to Bandomeer, where the mining crews were refusing to honor their contracts with the Empire. Vader could only ponder why his master would not involve him in his plan or if he was aware of Peturri's death. In addition, although assigned to the Imperial conquest of Bandomeer, Vader harbored suspicions that Palpatine assigned him to the battlefield in order to get him out of the way, as he felt he should be hunting down Jedi.

After successfully subjugating the miners, Vader met with Commander Vill as the clone gave a full report. Vader then asked Vill if, as nearly all the clones followed Order 66, they would attack him if the Emperor commands it. Vill stated that if such an order existed, he does not have the authority to divulge it. Seeing that as good as confirmation, Vader Force-choked him and threw him off a cliff so he could not report back to Sidious. He told an approaching clone that Vill slipped and fell.[175]

Pursuing Falco Sang

On the fourth month of Imperial rule, Vader arrived at Imperial Prison ISO-L8 to interrogate Janks regarding Dass Jennir, ignoring the Emperor's orders. However, before he could get the chance, an assassin named Falco Sang had interrogated and murdered Janks, intending to assassinate Jennir due to his earlier involvement in killing Dezono Qua. Despite the failure, as well as the Emperor's irritation at Vader's obsession with hunting down Jedi, Vader nonetheless was tasked with locating Sang. He eventually tracked down both Jennir and Sang to the desert world of Prine. Although he had missed his main target of Jennir, he nonetheless managed to apprehend Sang while also confiscating his ship, also locking him up in a training facility on Coruscant to train him for the purpose of killing Jennir when they eventually encounter each other.[176]

The search for Garoche Tarkin

"You and Captain Shale will take two battalions of the 501st Legion. Find Admiral Tarkin and bring him home. Then we shall see…"

Darth Vader and the 501st Legion during a mission to rescue Garoche Tarkin.

Although Darth Vader had renounced his former identity as Anakin Skywalker in order to fully embrace the dark side of the Force, he did so only in appearance. The sacrifices he made to ascend to a position of power, second only to the Emperor, inflicted deep psychological scars that left Vader in a constant state of depression and emotional turmoil. In secret, he grieved over the consequences of his actions that led to the death of his wife and the near destruction of the Jedi Order. His guilt caused him to dream about a life that he thought might have been his if he had killed Darth Sidious, rather than saving him from Mace Windu. In his dreams of an "alternate life," Anakin Skywalker struck down the last Dark Lord of the Sith. With Sidious dead, Skywalker never became Darth Vader and the Republic was never transformed into the Galactic Empire. Padmé Amidala not only survived the birth of their son Jinn Skywalker, but was also pregnant once again, around the time when Skywalker ascended to the rank of Grand Master of the Jedi Order.[177]

Outside of his dreams, however, Vader tried to strengthen his severely weakened body by focusing entirely on all of his rage and hatred, thereby fueling the dark side within him. Nevertheless, a part of him still held onto the love that he had for Amidala, causing him to think of her while enduring the excruciating pain of having his prosthetic limbs reattached. In late 19 BBY, barely a few months after the end of the Clone Wars, Emperor Palpatine summoned Vader to his throne room with MoffWilhuff Tarkin and CaptainShale at his side. The Dark Lord informed his apprentice that Moff Tarkin's son, AdmiralGaroche Tarkin had recently disappeared while on an expedition to annihilate a group of insurgents in the Atoa system of the Ghost Nebula. Though the two of them had developed a good working relationship, Moff Tarkin lacked faith in Vader's abilities to retrieve his son alive, as Vader had a tendency to ignore previously assigned objectives if an opportunity to pursue Jedi survivors presented itself. As this mission was of great personal importance to Moff Tarkin, he requested for Captain Shale to be assigned to the mission to help keep Vader on track. As a friend of Garoche since their days at the Imperial Academy, Shale reasoned that he could provide a great deal of insight into Garoche's behavior. Vader had no desire to have Shale follow him around like a "shadow," but his objection was overruled by the Emperor's final word on the matter. Hence, Vader and Shale departed from Coruscant in an Imperial Star Destroyer; the Emperor personally assigned two battalions of the 501st Legion to serve Vader during the search for Tarkin's missing son.[177]

Skirmish on Atoa

"We must be prepared for a war. Crush any resistance, but leave the officers alive. For interrogation."

―Darth Vader, issuing instructions to stormtroopers of the 501st Legion[src]

Darth Vader unleashes the 501st Legion on a settlement of Atoans.

After arriving in the Atoan system four days later, Darth Vader began his search for Admiral Tarkin on the planet Atoa. Due to the Empire's lack of information on the Atoan homeworld, Vader brought a company of stormtroopers onto Atoa to prepare for battle against hostile natives. Once they discovered a city populated by the Atoan civilians, CommanderVoca reported that the city was also protected by an armed force of Atoans; Vader promptly ordered the clones to kill the Atoan soldiers without mercy.[177]

The stormtroopers obeyed the Sith Lord without question or hesitance. As they unleashed a brutally efficient assault on the Atoans, Vader took to the front and led a charge into the city until he was momentarily surprised by a lone sniper. Captain Shale, escorted by a squad of Storm commandos, assisted Vader by using stealth to sneak up on the sniper in order to render her unconscious. When the last of the resistance fell, Vader ordered Commander Voca to round up the Atoan survivors and to bring them to the bank of a freezing river just outside of the city. But his interrogation of the prisoners failed to yield any useful information on Tarkin's whereabouts. Thus, Vader ordered Voca to execute all of the city's inhabitants that were old enough to wield a weapon before burning the entire city to the ground; the prisoners were to be drowned in the river.[177]

However, before Voca could carry out the Sith Lord's command, a trio of Atoan priests approached the Imperials by using a boat to cross the river. Before Voca or Shale could open fire, Vader ordered them to stand down. A priestess then came forward in peace and introduced herself as LadySaro, the high priestess of Atoa. She promised to help Vader find whatever he was looking for.[177]

The alliance with Lady Saro

"I agree to your terms. Once we find Admiral Tarkin, this system is yours. But you will swear loyalty to the Emperor.""Of course. I'll even build temples in your honor should you so desire, Lord Vader."

However, Lady Saro's assistance was not for free. In return for her aid in the Imperials' search for Admiral Tarkin, the Lady requested that Darth Vader support her bid to become the sovereign of the Atoan system. Her request only served to infuriate the Sith Lord, who was too used to receiving unconditional cooperation by then. Yet he could not harm her as there were no other leads to Tarkin. Thus, he resorted to his methods of persuasion through fear. After returning to his Star Destroyer with Lady Saro as his "guest," Captain Shale escorted the priestess to the vessel's medical chamber where Vader dissected the body of an Atoan prisoner. But the more he tried to intimidate Lady Saro, the more she stood her ground, even to the point where she risked execution after revealing how she learned to speak Imperial Basic—by swallowing the tongue of a stormtrooper, thus killing him in the process.[178]

When it became clear that Lady Saro would not speak until Vader agreed to her term, she was sent to Deck Sixteen and placed under guard while Vader returned to dissecting the Atoan prisoner's body. Once Lady Saro was gone, Shale interceded with Vader on the Lady's behalf. The captain reasoned that they were wasting time by refusing her only condition and that the Emperor had made Moffs out of lesser men. Hence, there was no real harm in denying her control of the Atoan system, so long as she swore her allegiance to the Galactic Empire. Vader ignored Shale at first, but then lost his temper and grabbed Shale by the neck through the Force, reminding him that command of the mission rested in Vader's hands alone. Shale rebuffed Vader's threat and countered with a warning of his own—Moff Tarkin would personally ensure that Vader would never have another command again if he failed to rescue Garoche Tarkin. Although clearly angered and tempted to kill the outspoken Imperial officer, he released Shale from his grip and left to meditate in private on Lady Saro's offer.[178]

Once again, he dreamed about his fantasy life where he was still Anakin Skywalker. In his dream, "Skywalker" and his son Jinn were providing moral support to a nervous Padmé Amidala. She was originally convinced that the galaxy was fed up with politicians; that the Senate needed a Jedi to lead the Galactic Republic after the debacle with Palpatine and his failed attempt to secure unlimited power through the Clone Wars. Most of all, however, Amidala was afraid that she would make the wrong decisions as the new Supreme Chancellor. But Anakin and Jinn both assured Amidala that they not only believed in her, but would also stand at her side as she strove to ensure that her time as Chancellor would usher in a new golden age of peace and prosperity for the Galactic Republic. But his "picture-perfect" dream and the happiness of his "alternate-self" was far too much for Vader to handle emotionally, thus waking him up with the same anguish and regret over his actions that destroyed the life that could have been his.[178]

After recovering from the ordeal of his dreams, Darth Vader approached Lady Saro with an answer to her one and only request in exchange for finding Admiral Tarkin. In exchange for information on the Admiral's whereabouts, Vader grudgingly agreed to allow Lady Saro to rule over the Atoan system so long as she acknowledged Emperor Palpatine as her lord and sovereign. With Vader's agreement finally secured, Lady Saro directed the Sith Lord in the direction to where Admiral Tarkin's missing Star Destroyer was located. Upon reaching the vessel's destination, Vader piloted his personal starfighter to gain a closer look at the remains of the immensely damaged warship. He was accompanied by Shale and Voca, as well as a squadron of V-wing starfighters.[178]

But just as Voca noted that the damage to the Star Destroyer indicated that it was destroyed from within by sabotage, the Imperials were suddenly caught in a surprise attack by Atoan starfighters. Yet even with the element of surprise, they were unable to compete against the superior technological assets of the Empire. Before concluding the skirmish in space, Vader captured an Atoan pilot, whom he kept alive long enough for an interrogation. After Vader learned everything that he wanted to know before the pilot's death, he contacted Emperor Palpatine via hologram to provide his Master with an update report on the mission's status. Palpatine confided in Vader that he personally cared nothing about Admiral Tarkin, whom he saw as just another expendable asset that could be replaced at a moment's notice. The only reason that the Emperor authorized a rescue mission was because of Garoche's father, Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, who had proven himself to be a valuable asset to the New Order.[178]

To gain his Master's approval, Vader suggested that he should kill Garoche Tarkin instead of rescuing him. He believed that the younger Tarkin's death would push Moff Tarkin ever further into darkness, thus enabling him to fully commit to the utter destruction of the Empire's enemies. To ensure that the Moff did not suspect any foul play in his son's demise, Vader stated that he would cover up his involvement by placing the blame on the Atoan insurgents. Palpatine was well pleased with Vader's proposal and secretly authorized his apprentice to proceed with the new plan. Upon returning to the bridge, Vader ordered Commander Voca to assemble the 501st Legion and to prepare for a ground assault on the unknown world where Garoche Tarkin was allegedly held prisoner. The assault, however, was merely a diversion for Vader and Shale to launch a stealth attack on the insurgents with the aid of the storm commandos.[178]

A botched "rescue" attempt

"Sink the city. Bring our forces back to the Star Destroyer. And then we will discuss these charges against Admiral Tarkin. Your friend."

―Darth Vader to Captain Shale, just after their failure to find Garoche Tarkin[src]

Darth Vader and the 501st Legion fighting against Atoan insurgents.

The efforts of the Imperial assault force were hindered by the fact that the entire planet was virtually covered in tar-pits that were dangerously hot and potentially flammable. Added to their complications was the fact that their target, an Atoan city, was built as a ship that could travel on the tar-pits. This made it difficult for the considerably slow-moving Imperial AT-AT Walkers to get within range of the city to inflict damage. Thus, several Walkers and clone squads were lost due to the pressure of moving through the tar-pits while under enemy fire at the same time. When the Atoans were convinced that they had escaped from the pursuing Imperials, Vader and Shale executed their stealth mission by utilizing an Imperial LAAT gunship to board the city. While Vader and his squad of storm commandos infiltrated the city through one route, Captain Shale and Lady Saro followed a different path to the prison block with their own commando escort unit.[179]

Both groups killed their fair share of Atoan guards without alerting the entire city. Upon reaching what they thought was Tarkin's cell, however, Vader only found the Admiral's protocol droid. The droid was commanded to present a "gift" to any Imperial that came looking for him. But the "gift" turned out to be a bomb and Vader, realizing the trap at the last possible moment, warned his troops and Lady Saro to take cover. Although Vader was caught in the middle of the explosion, he survived with almost no injury to himself, despite sustaining noticeable damage to his armor. Enraged at such an unexpected turn of events, the Sith Lord disregarded stealth for the direct approach—a swift and open assault on the city's bridge.[179]

Thanks to the skills of Captain Shale and the storm commandos, the capture of the bridge crew was easily achieved with little effort; Vader himself personally apprehended the female Atoan captain. Yet his latest round of interrogation proved to be just as ineffective as the last ones throughout the mission. Despite failing to gain a clear understanding on why Admiral Tarkin had set a trap for his Imperial rescuers or what his exact relationship was with the Atoans, Vader came to suspect that the admiral was a traitor to the Empire. After several prisoners were mercilessly executed at Vader's hand, the Imperials returned to the Star Destroyer. Shortly afterward, Vader had another dream of his alternate life, only this time he hallucinated that Padmé was warning him to "wake up" because of the assassins that were coming for him. At that moment, Vader awakened to find himself surrounded by Shale's storm commandos, all of whom had their weapons trained on him. He activated his lightsaber after suddenly realizing that Shale had betrayed the Empire by somehow inciting the commandos into staging a mutiny against the Sith Lord.[179]

The mutiny

"It's a mutiny, Lord Vader! They've executed all of the officers and locked down the communications array.""None of that matters now, Commander Voca. Gather your men and follow me."

The treacherous storm commandos wasted little time and opened fire on Darth Vader, intending to kill their former master without hesitation. Vader responded by unleashing his rage on the clones, all of whom were completely outmatched by the vengeful Sith Lord. Before the last traitor died, he excused his actions and those of his fellow conspirators by revealing that Shale had warned them about his suspicion that Vader was planning on murdering Admiral Tarkin. Vader confirmed that Shale was right before executing the clone for committing high treason.[180]

As Vader searched his warship for Shale and the other traitors, he found Commander Voca and his men pinned down by blaster fire from storm commandos. With Vader's assistance, Voca and the stormtroopers took their opportunity to kill their attackers. But shortly after regrouping with his loyal soldiers, the Star Destroyer was critically damaged by several explosions that took place all over the Star Destroyer, thus mirroring the same form of sabotage that destroyed Admiral Tarkin's vessel. Before heading to the hangar, Vader and Voca tried to retrieve Lady Saro, only to discover that her guards were murdered and that she was likely transported by Shale to the nearby unknown planet. With no other reason to remain aboard the doomed Star Destroyer, Vader and his men hunted down the last storm commandos that were trying to escape the ship; he killed them all by telekinetically throwing a V-wing starfighter at the commandos. With only a little time left to make it off of the Star Destroyer alive, Voca and the remaining stormtroopers boarded a Nu-class attack shuttle while Vader operated as its pilot.[180]

Though they escaped from the final and largest explosion within the Star Destroyer, the shuttle was nearly destroyed after crashing onto the unknown world where Shale and Saro fled. Only Vader, Voca and eight stormtroopers emerged from the shuttle as survivors of the crash. Then they pursued Shale on foot until they found the last of the captain's storm commandos, all of whom had been executed. At that moment, a large group of Atoan insurgents used the high ground to their advantage and opened fire on the unsuspecting Imperials. Trapped in a hopeless position and utterly outnumbered, Vader ordered the clones to retreat before they were all cut down. He then faced the insurgents alone with his lightsaber in hand and introduced himself as "Darth Vader, a Dark Lord of the Sith and 'death' itself."[180]

But while he was distracted by the insurgents' main force, the path to escape was cut off to Commander Voca and his men by a group of armed Atoans, led by the traitor Shale. Exhausted and no longer able to defend themselves, Voca and the stormtroopers were executed by Shale's firing squad. Although many insurgents perished by Vader's blade, he too was overwhelmed and severely injured by the Atoans, who captured him alive in accordance with Lady Saro's orders. When Vader awoke, he found that his helmet was removed and was replaced with a crude breathing device to keep the Sith Lord alive. He was also restrained by energy cables as Garoche Tarkin revealed himself. Tarkin explained that he joined with Lady Saro's Atoan faction shortly after being assigned to wipe out the insurgents in the Ghost Nebula. Vader deduced that Tarkin was clearly in love with Lady Saro, which the former admiral confirmed when he stated his intention to rule the Atoan system at Lady Saro's side. He also revealed how Vader was an unwitting pawn in their scheme by killing all of the other major Atoan factions that posed a threat to Lady Saro's plans. When Tarkin exited the tent, Vader was suddenly struck by a vision of his wife, who bore the pregnant appearance that she had near the time of her death.[180]

Showdown with Lady Saro, Garoche Tarkin and Shale

"Yes. I killed you. I killed you. I killed the child you carried. And I hate myself for all that I have done."

―Darth Vader confesses his self-hatred to the spirit of Padmé Amidala[src]

Darth Vader unleashes the power of the dark side on those who betrayed him.

In Vader's vision of his dead wife, Padmé Amidala was heartbroken to see what her once heroic Jedi husband had been reduced to—a broken shadow of the man he once was. Vader tried to excuse his fate by blaming his decisions on his Masters, Darth Sidious and Obi-Wan Kenobi respectively. But Amidala was not moved by Vader's feelings of self-pity and referred to him by his birth name. In that moment, Darth Vader angrily rejected his former name and regarded it as something that no longer possessed any meaning for him. He tried to rationalize his frustrations at himself by declaring that Anakin Skywalker died with his wife. But in rejecting who he once was, Vader caused Amidala to turn away since she had come for Anakin, not Vader. The Sith Lord panicked at first, and then flew into a rage. Breaking free of his bonds in desperation, he was all but trapped in a hysterical delusion as he searched for his dead wife.[181]

His desperate search for Amidala turned into a rampage that brought him straight to Lady Saro's Cathedral, where she, Garoche Tarkin and Shale were located. As Vader killed the Atoan guards that stood in his path of destruction, Shale tried to give Tarkin and Lady Saro enough time to escape from the deranged Sith Lord. He tried to strike Vader down with the Sith Lord's own lightsaber, only to be quickly disarmed, thus finding himself at the mercy of an enraged Darth Vader who demanded to know where his wife was. Shale was utterly shocked by Vader's words and honestly retorted that he had no idea what Vader was rambling about. But Vader was far too lost in his anger towards those who betrayed him, as well as himself for causing Amidala's death. At that moment, Shale confessed about how the guilt he carried over the atrocities he had committed led him to deeply resent Emperor Palpatine and the Galactic Empire. He swore to be a good soldier, but instead became just another slave to a tyrant Emperor. Before he could be killed by Vader, however, Shale activated several bombs that were hidden under his jacket, intending to kill himself and Vader in the process. Vader narrowly avoided sharing in Shale's fate by throwing the former officer far enough to avoid the resulting explosion.[181]

As Vader descended deeper into the depths of the Cathedral, he encountered another vision of Amidala, whose beauty was overtaken by the decaying effects of death. She forced Vader to stop lying to himself and finally confront the truth—Amidala did not just "die," she was murdered in cold blood by her own husband. Overwhelmed by the indescribable pain and sorrow that filled his entire being, Darth Vader fell to his knees with tears of remorse in his eyes. He confessed to everything, from killing his wife to destroying his life as Anakin Skywalker; he confessed his belief that Amidala's unborn child died as a result of his actions as well. Ultimately, what he hated most of all was himself for all of the evil that he committed as Darth Vader. Amidala forgave her husband, whom she referred to by his Sith title, causing Vader to shed a final tear for all that he had lost.[181]

When she vanished into thin air, Vader became hysterical once more. Lady Saro and Garoche Tarkin revealed themselves, causing a shocked Vader to believe that the priestess had somehow induced him with hallucinations. However, Lady Saro explained that she possessed the ability to see in ways that most others could not, an ability that she could share with anyone, thus enabling Vader to see the spirit of his dead wife. Vader grabbed Tarkin by the throat through the Force and threatened to kill the ex-admiral unless Saro brought Amidala's spirit back. But instead, Saro desperately tried to redeem Darth Vader by begging him to put an end to his persona as a murderer. She presented him with the chance of redemption, which he could have by sparing Tarkin and Saro. In her last attempt to reach the side of Vader that was still Anakin Skywalker, Saro revealed that she was carrying Garoche Tarkin's unborn daughter. The revelation caused Vader to hesitate before releasing Tarkin from his grip. Saro looked at the Sith Lord with hope, but Vader simply couldn't go on living any longer. In a moment of clarity and a desire to atone for his sins, he chose to leave his fate up to the will of the Force. Thus, Vader used his power to bring the entire Cathedral down upon himself, Garoche Tarkin and Lady Saro. As Tarkin and Saro embraced each other lovingly for the last time, Vader closed his eyes in a moment of bliss as the entire building collapsed to the ground, burying the three alive.[181]

Days later, Darth Vader awoke to find himself on Coruscant and in the presence of Emperor Palpatine. As his repairs were nearly finished, Palpatine voiced his satisfaction with the results of Vader's mission—all of the traitors were dead, the entire insurgency was destroyed, the Atoan system was conquered and Vader survived after being buried alive for days. Vader credited the power of the dark side as the source of his remarkable strength and ability to survive near-death scenarios. Palpatine also explained how Moff Tarkin was under the impression that his son was murdered by the Atoa's natives, thus fueling his hatred and making him ever more vicious towards the Empire's many enemies. As such, the Emperor was quite pleased to have a much more powerful servant in Wilhuff Tarkin, and thus he thanked Vader for "failing" to rescue Garoche Tarkin. After Vader's repairs were finished, he was dressed once more in his armor, which had been restored to its previous condition. Falling on one knee before his Sith Master, Darth Vader awaited his next assignment from Darth Sidious.[181]

The Gentis coup

"But when Lord Vader came to our aid in the courtyard, I realized that serving him could earn an officer the only two things that mattered…fear and respect."

In the few months since the formation of the New Order, Darth Vader's reputation had spread through the military ranks. Aside from crushing local insurrections, tracking down missing Star Destroyers and hunting down wanted fugitives who survived the Clone Wars, the Dark Lord of the Sith was also known for summarily executing numerous Imperial officers under his command—a fact that made him a dreaded figure among many within the chain of command. On Coruscant, Vader stood at Emperor Palpatine's side as the two Sith Lords presided over an Imperial Academy graduation ceremony, composed of cadets trained by HeadmasterGentis at the military institute on Raithal.[182]

Hours after the event, Gentis and his students initiated a secret insurrection against the Emperor's rule. Hundreds of strategically-placed explosives were suddenly detonated across Imperial City, destroying key targets such as the officers' club, a communications tower, the supply depot and several military garrisons. As fire swept through much of the city, Darth Vader and a squadron of stormtroopers defended the Imperial Plaza from a group of rebellious cadets. Frightened by the Dark Lord's Force powers and combat skills, the students pulled back, though not before a few were crushed by a large piece of rubble that Vader telekinetically threw at them.[182] As the troopers secured the Plaza, Cadet Laurita Tohm discovered that one of the dying insurrectionists was Shens, his friend and fellow student from Raithal. Vader watched as Shens was executed for treason by Tohm, whom he recognized to be the valedictorian from the graduation ceremony. After Tohm declared his allegiance to the Emperor and the Dark Lord, Vader ordered the cadet to accompany him to the Imperial Palace.[183]

Rescuing the Emperor

"We will do as you suggest—and spirit the Emperor away before Gentis can find us. But we will do so under my command."

By the time Darth Vader and Laurita Tohm arrived at the Imperial Palace's front entrance, a large explosion erupted in the higher levels of the building, followed by the contamination of the entire residence by poisonous fumes known as Aorth-6. Protected by his armor's respiratory system, Vader entered the palace, accompanied by Tohm who equipped his own breathing device, while many Imperial officers fell victim to the gas's lethal effects. Upon reaching the Emperor's private chambers, the Sith Lord found his Master in a weak condition; Palpatine was infected by the virus and his condition was critical—only the Force could keep him alive for a while until his condition could be treated. Another survivor that Vader discovered was Moff Trachta, also unaffected by Aroth-6 because of his implanted respiration system. Though initially resistant to the Moff's recommendation of retreat, believing it to be a sign of weakness, Vader grudgingly complied when Palpatine agreed that he needed to be removed to a safe location for the time being.[183]

Together with Trachta and Tohm, Darth Vader brought the transferred Emperor Palpatine to an advanced stealth transport that was hidden in a secret hangar known as the "Crypt." With the Emperor's condition temporarily stabilized by the starship's stasis chamber, Vader and Trachta debated on their next course of action, between remaining on Coruscant or retreating to an off-world location. At the same time, Trachta aimed his sidearm at Tohm, whom he did not trust because of the cadet's former ties to Gentis. Darth Vader immediately disarmed the Moff and agreed to take the Emperor away from the capital. Once Trachta acknowledged Vader's greater authority, Tohm advised that any Imperial location was not safe. Given the scale of Gentis's revolution, Tohm believed that the entire military wing could not be trusted since they could not account for the exact number of those who sided with the Headmaster's cause. Vader concurred with the cadet, but also realized that there were other facilities that were classified by the Jedi High Council—secret places hidden from both Palpatine and Vader's former self, Anakin Skywalker.[183]

Ruins of the Jedi Temple

"You fools! The Emperor was right about you all! You plotted and schemed against us from the beginning! Traitors! This is a temple to betrayal. We will raze it when we return to Coruscant."

―Darth Vader, outraged by the Jedi Council's lack of trust in him[src]

While Gentis and his revolutionaries secured Coruscant under their control, Darth Vader and Laurita Tohm journeyed to the fallen Jedi Temple. After a brief skirmish with several automated training droids, the two reached the High Council Tower where Vader activated a holographicrecording of a discussion between Anakin Skywalker and the members of the Jedi Council.[183] Throughout the Clone Wars, Skywalker had apprehended a number of Force-sensitive war criminals that mysteriously disappeared once transferred to the Council's authority. He demanded to know their location, only to be reprimanded for his behavior by Jedi Master Mace Windu, who also dismissed the young Jedi Knight's accusations of conspiracy and secrecy.[51]

The recording also displayed the conference that took place after Skywalker left the Chamber, in which the Council revealed the existence and location of the Prism, a secret detention center that contained dangerous Force-wielders, all of whom were overseen by a single Jedi warden. Darth Vader lost control of his anger upon discovering that the Jedi Order had its own penitentiary facility—a secret that they did not entrust to Anakin Skywalker. Enraged and bitter toward the holographic representation of his former comrades, the Dark Lord used the Force to hurl the Council seats out of the tower's window.[51]

The Ghost Prison

"How many?""Two hundred and eight, Lord Vader. But this can't be correct… According to these records, this man—Anakin Skywalker—arrested more than half of these prisoners."

Afterward, Vader, Trachta and Tohm followed the Prism's coordinates to the Diab system on the edge of the galaxy. Due to security precautions, the Prism was cut off from all communications with the outside world. A female Jedi warden, unaware of the Jedi Order's destruction per Order 66, sought to greet her visitor, believing Darth Vader to be her replacement. When she was caught by surprise by the Dark Lord's appearance, Vader used the distraction to impale her through the abdomen while Trachta and Tohm destroyed the Jedi's security droids.[51]

The ailing Emperor Palpatine was immediately taken to the Prism's infirmary. Its advanced medical technology stabilized the Emperor's condition, although he required more time to regain his full health. During Palpatine's recovery, the prison's inmate files were analyzed by Vader and Tohm, the latter of whom found it unlikely that one Jedi—Anakin Skywalker—was responsible for the arrests of more than half of the facility's prisoners. Vader confirmed the records' accuracy, and referred to his former self as one of the Jedi Order's best generals during the Clone Wars. When Tohm inquired about Skywalker's fate, the Dark Lord vaguely stated that he had killed Skywalker. Not long after, Tohm approached Vader with a plan that revolved around utilizing the Prism's prisoners as an army to recapture Coruscant from Gentis's insurgents.[51]

Prison riot

Vader, however, came up with another plan: He arranged to have all 207 prisoners fight amongst themselves in the Prison yard to find out which of them were worthy enough to fight alongside Vader. Of the prisoners, only 33 of them survived in good enough condition to join.[184]

Final battle

Afterwards, Darth Vader, alongside Tohm, Trachta, a newly recovered Palpatine, and the 33 prisoners, returned to Coruscant to deal with Gentis and his traitorous supporters. As they landed, Vader immediately exited the transport on which the strike team was situated and was attacked by Gentis's soldiers. Utilizing a glimmering Protection bubble to deflect their blaster bolts, Vader then unleashed a massively powerful Force Wave, killing dozens of his attackers and clearing the area so that the rest of the strike team could disembark. After the battle was won, Vader wanted the prisoners killed to prevent them from later rebelling, but Trachta disagreed, believing that their invaluable service to the Empire warranted more than execution. As they argued, Tohm proposed an apparent compromise between the two, suggesting that the prisoners be exiled in honor. In actuality, Vader and Tohm had planned for them to be killed in the planned destruction of a transport ship. Afterwards, shortly after Tohm's promotion to Admiral by Palpatine, Vader pushed Tohm off the cityscape of Coruscant, in order to "not suffer from rivals."[185]

Observing Falco Sang

In the aftermath of the Gentis coup, Vader arrived at the construction site for the Imperial Palace, and learned from Gregg's report on Sang that he was being subject to the obstacle course, but Sang had deduced they were using stinger blasters and is neither evading nor shooting back, and that he had attempted to escape twice. Vader then ordered Gregg to replace the weapons with live blasters alongside the specific orders to wound Sang, intending to pay a visit to the training facility the next day.[186]

Making good of his promise, he then visited the training center where Sang was held up at. Sang then angrily confronted Vader while in a hoverchair regarding one of the droids shooting his leg, injuring it. He then accused Vader of trying to kill him. Vader then telekinetically lifted Sang up and told him that Sang wouldn't even be in front of him had Vader intended to kill him, and also threatened that if Sang did not improve with his training, and thus proved himself useful to him or the Empire, he would make sure to kill him in person.[187] His obsession with hunting down Jennir also led him to decline on supplying more manpower to Imperial Commander Teron at Arkinnea for investigating mistreatment of refugees.[188]

Vader eventually learned of the divergence of the Venator-class Star Destroyer Tenacious to Arkinnea from Gregg, and promptly scolded him for bringing it up, since it didn't deal with any apparent immediate relation to hunting Jedi.[189]

At some point afterward, he got into a fight with Sang after he arranged for the latter's ship to be delivered to the prison facility. After grabbing him by the neck, Sang admitted that he was trying to impress Vader based on a suggestion made by Lieutenant Gregg. Afterwards, Vader knocked him back and merely commented the engines needed fixing before leaving Gregg and Sang to fix them.[190] Vader eventually learned of a potential sighting of Dennir on the Colonies planet Kestavel from Gregg and had the Hound prepped to depart within the hour. Unknown to him was that Gregg had himself secretly learned this information from Emperor Palpatine himself, and that Jennir was actually luring Vader into a trap.[191] He eventually arrived on the Hound, albeit aboard Sang's ship instead of his own shuttle, causing some initial confusion from the crew awaiting his arrival.[192] Upon arriving at Kestavel, Vader personally led a detachment of clone troopers to The Lucky Twi'lek hotel/cantina, stopping briefly only to disarm a booby-trapped archway after sensing the danger. However, while he managed to sense the engine fuel flood and jumped up a cliff, his detachment was not as fortunate as they ended up drenched in the fuel and ignited by Jenner as part of an assassination attempt on the Sith Lord.[193] Vader located Jedi Master Kai Huddora (the latter of whom he sensed earlier), and proceeded to duel with him. Although successful in killing Huddora and preventing him from detonating the building's reactors, he failed in locating Jennir, as Huddora secretly arranged to have him spirited off the planet. He instead found the ex-Jedi Master Beyghor Sahdett, who revealed his allegiance to the Sith, Sidious more specifically, to handle the Jedi where Vader could not. Vader in turn ended the life of the Verpine Sith by decapitating him. But as he did so, he dropped the detonator, causing it to go off. Vader managed to survive the explosion and was rescued by Sang, who was dispatched was Gregg to rescue him. Once onboard, he informed the bounty hunter of Jennir's escape. Though Sang assumed that their mission was a failure, Vader corrected that he at least got to kill two Jedi.[194]

Hunting Olin

A year later, while recovering from his wounds, Vader was forced to return to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. He arrived to find InquisitorMalorum having difficulties with intruders. Vader ridiculed Malorum for having difficulty in capturing the reported intruders, much to the chagrin of the Inquisitor, who had plans of replacing Vader as the Emperor's crony. Vader even went as far as to suggest that Malorum blow up the Temple to ensure the intruders' deaths, though he knew very well that the Inquisitor would not even attempt to. The two also quarreled about Malorum's lack of dealing with the secret resistance group, the Erased. When Malorum mentioned to Vader his findings on Polis Massa, the Sith Lord held him in a Force choke and his anger started to cave-in the walls of the room, exposing Ferus Olin, a former rival of his, and his companion Trever Flume. As a result of Malorum's failure to capture the intruders, Vader let the pair escape.[195]

A short time afterward, Vader was ordered by the Emperor to go to the planet Samaria, where sabotage of the computer systems had caused the planet to go into chaos. While searching for the saboteur, he again ran into Ferus Olin. This time, however, Olin had the protection of the Emperor and could not be arrested. After this meeting, though, Vader had much to ponder about Olin's apparent change of sides. Some time later, Vader was assigned to the Imperial garrison on Bellassa. However, after cutting down Roan Lands—one of The Eleven resistance members—and once more exposing Olin's treachery, the Emperor intervened on Olin's behalf and reassigned Vader to a troublesome garrison under construction in the Bellassan mountains. However, Vader confronted Olin one more time in the Jedi Temple, and engaged him in a Lightsaber duel. Olin eventually revealed that he knew of Vader's marriage to Amidala, it had little effect on Vader, and the two dueled on, both using the Dark Side regularly. Eventually, Olin retreated to the Reactor room of the Temple, and threw a Sith Holocron he had received from Palpitine into the reactor. While Olin was distracted Vader caught up with him and used the Force to throw him against the wall. Vader then used the Force to almost strangle him and left him to die. Afterwards he used the prototype Death Star to destroy the secret asteroid base used by Olin to shelter survivors of Order 66, the coordinates of which had been given to him by spy Eve Yarrow.[195]

Other survivors of Order 66 eliminated by Vader include Empatojayos Brand, who was forced to live out the remainder of his life inside a pressure suit, and Halagad Ventor, whom Vader interrogated for information on other Jedi survivors. Other survivors found by Vader include Qu Rahn and Kento Marek.[196]

Operation: Twilight

Darth Vader later participated in Twilight, a secret, large-scale operation conducted by the Empire. Part of the operation dealt with creating a serum designed to wipe away up to 50 years of a person's memory once injected. He personally participated in the operation in part to eliminate his memories of Amidala, as the memories as well as his guilt of killing her continued to haunt him. However, after he learned that not only was any written data for the serum destroyed by a duo of Jedi, but the head of the project, Jenna Zan Arbor, was injected with the serum, thus removing any chance of recreating the serum, he executed Arbor for her failure. Nonetheless, the project was also designed to track down and wipe out the leaders of an early rebel movement in one fell swoop. He managed to accomplish this via a plant in their ranks, and upon capturing them, had a Star Destroyer equipped with a superlaser destroy the main Rebel hideout, along with most of the leadership.

The Heinsnake plot

Evading assassination attempts

Some time later, Vader ended up finding himself under the vengeful watch of a wealthy industrialist, due to killing the industrialist's son when the latter tried to disrupt an Empire-enforced business deal. As such, he killed eight assassins that were hired by the industrialist to kill him, and eventually was tailed by a ninth. During this time, Vader also participated in a battle on Utapau.[197]

Assassination attempts on the Emperor

Vader, in an unorthodox manner, saves Palpatine from an assassination attempt.

Vader was eventually summoned by the Emperor himself. However, shortly after arriving, he then unexpectedly Force Pushed the Emperor away and hurled the throne out of the window. Vader's reason soon became clear when the throne exploded due to a bomb being placed underneath. Vader then executed two of the royal guards by hurling them out of the window, citing lack of time as his reason (as they would normally have been punished by a slow and painful death for their failure to protect the Emperor). He then berated the remaining five royal guards for being incompetent or otherwise conspiring against both the Emperor and the Empire. He then executed the two guards who failed to kneel in guilt, and spared the remaining five when they accepted responsibility for the failure, and assigned two of them to protect the Emperor, two of them to accompany Vader, and the remaining one to cover up the attempted assassination, he then went to his master's side. He eventually learned that the Heinsnake Cult was responsible after an encounter with a cultist who blew himself up during their investigation. Upon learning from his Master the history of the Heinsnake Cult, he then was dispatched to wipe out the cult of dark side sorcerers, all while the ninth assassin stalked him.[198]

Investigating the Heinsnake Cult's moon

While investigating the location of the Heinsnake Cult, he eventually found a derelict Venator-class Star Destroyer over a moon. Despite protests by the Emperor's Royal Guard to not investigate the derelict vessel due to dangers, Vader opened up the shuttle's airlock and exited into the vaccuum of space to personally investigate. He noted that the ship had apparently been taken out by a single blast, yet there were surprisingly few corpses on board the vessel, indicating that most of the crew had evacuated. Vader, during his search, then managed to find the ship's datalogs, and after transferring the logs to the Royal Guards, requested for them to pick him off where he had left. Vader and the Emperor's Royal Guards deduced the point of origin of the energy beam that doomed the vessel: a nearby moon. They also learned that the captain had encountered a saboteur with a homing device who was apparently a member of the Heinsnake Cult. They then went to locate the area that the surviving crew had evacuated to, in the hopes of finding the captain and learning more about the cult's plot against the Emperor, although they only found abandoned vessels at the evacuation site, with Vader speculating that the survivors were most likely eaten by the wildlife. Vader then killed one of the monsters on the planet, although not before the monster squashed one of the Royal Guards to death. He and the surviving guard eventually located the suspected source of the beam: several ancient ruins. However, Vader upon entering the temple started suspecting that he was being stalked.[199]

Learning the Heinsnake Cult's motives

Vader eventually entered the temple, and was guided to the basis by an elderly cultist. Upon being instructed by one of the cultists that it was only necessary to look inside the basis, Vader did so, only for vines to encapsulate him, overwhelming him to the extent that he was unable to breathe. Vader then knelt down with his helmet and mask removed and watched as he, donning the mask and helmet once again, dueled Kenobi before cutting him down. Vader then witnessed Emperor Palpatine torturing him with Force lightning, only for Vader to gradually resist the lightning and have Palpatine collapse. Vader then looked up and saw himself among the stars, except instead of his chest box, he was adorned with the Heinsnake insignia in its place. However, Vader refused to follow the Heinsnake Cult and wiped them out, also taking the Basis's power source, an energy crystal, with him.[24]

Tying up loose ends

He later departed from the doomed moon, due to his earlier actions. Upon making it back to the ship, he eventually fought against the Ninth Assassin when the latter ambushed him, but he killed him effortlessly. He then made a trek over to the Ninth Assassin's abode and located his associate, killing him and presumably learning who hired the assassin from him. He then went to deliver the crystal to Tarkin to complete the preparations of the Death Star. He then left for the industrialist's home, although he discovered that the industrialist had already committed suicide. He then met up with Palpatine, who admitted that he had actually orchestrated the events that transpired, even the Heinsnake Cult's attempted assassination of him, as a test for Darth Vader.[200]

The discovery of Galen Marek

During the early years of the Galactic Empire, Darth Vader participated in another invasion of Kashyyyk following a resurgent Wookiee uprising[16] after the first attack.[168] Aside from a stormtrooper escort, Vader did not personally lead the campaign as he pursued an objective of his own—the hunt for a fugitive Jedi who had taken refuge on the Wookiee homeworld. Despite his disappointment in the overall strategy of his subordinate officer, whom he judged to be incompetent, Vader allowed the Commander to live while he executed his own mission. The Dark Lord of the Sith encountered numerous Wookiee warriors, all of whom fought with fierce determination, though none were able to prevent Vader's path into their village. Soon after reaching a large hut, decorated with banners bearing his target's family crest, the Jedi Kento Marek confronted Darth Vader.[16]

The Sith Lord dueled the former Jedi Knight, but found his opponent's skills to be significantly inferior to his own. Aside from a basic knowledge of Shii-Cho, Marek combat repertoire contained only rudimentary knowledge of Makashi. As such, Vader quickly overcame him using his refined form of Djem So.[16] The duel came to an end when Marek was disarmed and Force pushed by Vader through the front entrance of his hut.[196] As Vader entered the hut, he sensed the presence of a being who was far more powerful in the Force than the Jedi he had just defeated. Believing the presence to be Marek's Jedi Master, Vader seized him in the grip of a Force choke and demanded to know where the other Jedi was hiding. When Marek retorted that his master had fallen to Vader long ago, Vader prepared to kill his adversary. At the last moment, however, his lightsaber was telekinetically pulled out of his grasp. As the Dark Lord rounded on the culprit, he was astonished to see his lightsaber in the hands of a small boy. He quickly deduced the boy to be both the Jedi Knight's son and the other presence he felt upon entering the hut. When the elder Marek urged his son to run away, Vader casually crushed his throat. Horrified and in shock, the younger Marek stood still and pointed his stolen lightsaber at its owner, who cautiously approached the child.[16]

Darth Vader discovers Galen Marek, a child with a powerful connection to the Force.

Before Darth Vader could communicate with the now orphaned Marek, the Imperial Commander and a squad of stormtroopers entered the hut. As they approached the two, the Commander signaled his soldiers to execute the boy under the assumption that his Sith leader would approve. Instead, the Dark Lord telekinetically summoned his lightsaber back to him, and promptly killed the Commander and his troopers in front of Marek, thus ensuring that there would be no witnesses to his next move. He then commanded the boy to come with him, warning that more soldiers would soon arrive at their location. Unknown to Galen Marek at the time, he had been chosen as Darth Vader's secret Sith apprentice, although Vader never verbally acknowledged him as such until several years later.[16] In the aftermath of Kashyyyk's fall and subjugation, Darth Vader spirited the young Galen Marek to a hidden location on the Executor, a Super Star Destroyer that would serve as the Dark Lord's flagship upon the completion of its construction.[201]

By 17 BBY, Vader had become renowned as a warrior, which eventually resulted in Hock Malsuum, a clone trooper who had been left for dead in a battle during the final few months of the Clone Wars, to desire to join him,[202] also doing several battles to earn the Dark Lord's respect.[203] Eventually, Vader, having respected Hock, brought him into the fold and was later dispatched to the planet Ostor to participate in a mission to assimilate a Separatist holdout discovered on the Outer Rim planet. However, the operation ended disastrously due to Vader staying behind on his ship, not conducting reconnaissance beforehand, and giving direct command to an armchair general named Rohn, resulting in Hock having to do something that will risk his life,[204] also flying alongside Vader before ending up captured by the Separatist forces.[205] Vader eventually managed to attack the Separatists due to Hock sabotaging the Separatist forces from the inside, causing Hock to see the ruthlessness of Vader in person.[206]

The secret apprentice

"You were weak when I found you. You should never have survived my training. But now your anger has become your strength. At last, the dark side is your ally. Rise, my apprentice."

―Darth Vader acknowledges Starkiller as his Sith apprentice for the first time[src]

The secret apprentice kneels in the presence of his Master.

In the years that followed his abduction of Marek, Vader trained the boy in the ways of the Sith, including dumping him unarmed onto Honoghr while sending a Noghri Death Commando hunting party after him with the intention of having Marek survive and defeat them as an ultimate test. At first, he controlled his student through fear, but then taught him to embrace emotions such as anger and hatred. In time, Marek forgot about his past; the memories of his childhood became repressed and he came to assume that he was merely one of his Master's many experiments. In addition, the boy had forgotten his birth name, but soon came to know himself as "Starkiller," a codename provided to him by Darth Vader.[201]

Though Vader was prohibited[16] by the Rule of Two from training an apprentice while still apprenticed to a Master of his own,[25] the Dark Lord discarded the ancient tradition and became the mentor of a child whose potential in the Force rivaled Darth Sidious.[196] An outwardly loyal servant of the Emperor, Vader secretly harbored much anger and resentment for his Master, the Sith Lord who had orchestrated Anakin Skywalker's fall to the dark side of the Force.[201] Vader devoted years to personally molding Starkiller into a highly trained Sith assassin with an array of Force powers—including Force lightning, which Vader was unable to harness due to his mostly machine condition—that made the young apprentice a formidable opponent and Sith in all but name.[16] As time passed, Starkiller grew increasingly immersed in the dark side to his Master's approval, but also developed a strong sense of loyalty to the Sith Lord,[196] whom he came to view as the closest example he had to a father figure.[16] Starkiller's loyalty to Vader was rivaled only by his desire to fulfill the purpose of his existence, as stated by his Master: the assassination of Vader's own Master, Darth Sidious. The apprentice longed for years to be a true Sith Lord, providing him with the motivation and desire to become a greater Force-wielder in preparation for the day when he and his Master confronted the Emperor.[201]

As a Sith Master, Darth Vader's training regimen was both physically and psychologically agonizing to Starkiller. Despite Vader's emphasis on an equation, obey and succeed versus fail and die, the apprentice detected no hint of malicious cruelty in his Master's instructions. The Dark Lord only wanted his disciple to learn as a Sith apprentice, or die as a failure. His callous treatment of the apprentice was motivated by the goal of creating the ultimate Sith warrior, rather than a sadist's desire to inflict pain on another for personal amusement.[16]

Among the few items that Vader gave to Starkiller was a prototype holodroid named PROXY. Although Vader intended the droid to be a tool for helping the apprentice to refine his lightsaber skills, the Sith Lord unwittingly provided Starkiller with the only source of friendship he ever had throughout most of his short life. When Vader decided that his apprentice was ready to be sent on assassination missions in the galaxy, Starkiller was given the Rogue Shadow, an advanced starship equipped with state-of-the-art stealth technology, which served as his personal transport. Despite Starkiller's skills as a pilot, his Master preferred that he concentrate on his training while in-between missions. Vader therefore assigned several hand-picked individuals to serve as the pilot of his apprentice's ship. By 3 BBY, Vader had chosen a total of seven pilots; some had died during the apprentice's more chaotic assignments, while others were executed by Vader due to the perceived shortcomings in their performance.[201]

The following section contains information from a Star Wars Tales1–20 story that was referenced in no other Star Wars Legends source. Lucasfilm considered all Tales 1–20 content that was not "completely outrageous or intentionally comic" to have some level of canonicity within the Legends continuity. Editor discretion is advised.

Although Vader himself never visited Tatooine in 9 BBY, he did appear to his son Luke Skywalker in two visions: One of his current state, and one when he was a child. This vision interacted with Luke under the name "Annie" and noted the coincidences about their both lacking known fathers, both being gifted pilots, and both harboring a desire to leave Tatooine. This vision eventually vanished while both Skywalkers were fighting a Krayt Dragon that Annie inadvertently lured to them when trying to use a sabotaged R4 droid to allow a flare to be released signalling where Luke and he were, although Luke was certain that "Annie" was not a dream.[207]

Star Wars Tales 1–20 information ends here.

Genocide on Callos

"Strike the planetary reactor at the following coordinates, and strike it hard. Once that is out of action, I will consider the mission complete.""Thank you, Lord Vader.""Your gratitude is wasted on me. Give me success, Captain. That is all."

Aside from teaching Starkiller the ways of the dark side, Darth Vader continued to perform his duties as the Emperor's chief enforcer—responsibilities that included the military enforcement of the New Order on rebellious worlds in the Galactic Empire. As a commander, he demanded loyalty and competence from all of his subordinates; the failure to achieve the latter resulted in the deaths of numerous officers at the Dark Lord's hand. However, those who could pass his high expectations were rewarded with elevation in rank. One such officer was Captain Juno Eclipse, a young female Human who graduated at the top of her class as the youngest cadet from the Imperial Academy onCorulag. Impressed by her record as a highly-skilled TIE pilot, Vader promoted Eclipse as the leader of his Black Eight Squadron.[201]

Darth Vader judged Captain Eclipse to be a capable officer and pilot, but her concern for life convinced him that she lacked ruthlessness, a trait that Vader expected in everyone who served under him.[201] During the Bombing of Callos, he sensed Eclipse's hesitation when he ordered her to conduct a full-scale bombing run that would have resulted in the genocide of the planet's defeated inhabitants. Unconcerned with the Captain's disapproval, Vader redirected her to target the planetary reactor. Eclipse complied with the order under the belief that single precision strike was preferable to blanket bombing. However, she had been unaware at the time that the damaged reactor would contaminate the world's atmosphere with pollutants, which then resulted in the complete sterilization of all lifeforms on Callos, as Vader intended when he altered his order.[16]

In the months that followed after the destruction of Callos, Vader removed Eclipse as commander of the Black Eight Squadron and reassigned her to a top secret mission. Having recently executed Starkiller's last pilot, Vader chose Eclipse as the eighth pilot of the Rogue Shadow. The details of her new assignments were left unclear; Vader only informed her of the ship's advanced design in stealth technology, as well as its enigmatic owner who operated under the call sign "Starkiller." After providing her with the coordinates to the stealth vessel's location in a secret hangar on the Executor, Vader sternly warned Eclipse to keep her mission a secret and that the consequence of betraying his trust was execution.[16]

The apprentice's final tests

"Your training is almost complete. It is time now to face your first true test."

Juno Eclipse's reassignment coincided with Starkiller's progression through his trials to the point where Darth Vader acknowledged him as a Sith apprentice for the first time. In recognition of his apprentice's increasing power in the dark side of the Force, Vader ordered Starkiller to kill his first Jedi target—Master Rahm Kota, a Jedi General who served in the Clone Wars, as well as a survivor of Order 66. According to his informants, Kota and his private army were in the process of conducting a raid on an important construction facility for TIE starfighters located above Nar Shaddaa. He also commanded the apprentice to use the utmost discretion while in the field in order to avoid detection by the Emperor's spies. Hence, the apprentice was instructed to kill everyone he encountered in the facility, both Imperials and Kota's insurgents alike. Shortly after his briefing, the apprentice met Juno Eclipse in the hangar that contained the Rogue Shadow.[16] Given that none of his previous pilots were female, Starkiller believed that Vader selected a woman as the ship's latest pilot in order to test the apprentice, although Starkiller feared his Master too much to voice his suspicion.[201]

Despite the destruction of the construction facility, Starkiller returned to the Executor and reported to his Master. With Kota blind and left for dead since their last encounter, the apprentice assumed that the Jedi Master would no longer be a threat to the Empire. He was also disinclined to admit that he had not actually killed his target, and merely confirmed what Vader wanted to hear—that Rahm Kota was dead. Afterward, Vader dispatched Starkiller to hunt down Kazdan Paratus, a Jedi outcast who lived in self-exile on Raxus Prime; and Jedi Master Shaak Ti, one of the last members of the Jedi High Council whom Vader discovered to be hiding on Felucia.[16]

At the same time, Vader believed that his apprentice required further training, and thus sent him to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant with orders to participate in the Jedi Trials, particularly the lessons regarding skill and insight. In addition to the apprentice's completion of the tests on Coruscant,[196] Vader was also satisfied by the deaths of Paratus and Ti, both of whom had been slain by Starkiller in single combat.[16]

Crafting a new plot

"Save for PROXY, you must sever all ties to your past. No one must know that you still serve me.""Yes, my Master.""Now go. And remember that the dark side is always with you."

―Darth Vader and Starkiller, shortly before dispatching the apprentice to create the Rebel Alliance[src]

Starkiller is given his new mission by Darth Vader.

With Shaak Ti's death, the last of Starkiller's trials had been completed. Darth Vader recalled his apprentice back to Executor, where Vader assured Starkiller that they would finally kill Emperor Palpatine and rule the galaxy together as Master and Apprentice. But unknown to Starkiller, the Emperor's spies had been following him since Raxus Prime, tracing him back to Vader's flagship. Vader, faced with certain death for his "betrayal," in turn betrayed his shocked apprentice by impaling him through the chest with his lightsaber. After a moment of pause, Vader threw Starkiller into the vacuum of space by hurling him through the bridge window, at his master's command. However, Vader made sure that Starkiller's body was retrieved and brought to his science vessel, the Empirical. Upon the apprentice's full recovery, Vader excused his betrayal as a necessary course of action, both to save their lives and to fool Palpatine into believing that the secret apprentice was dead. Starkiller, although clearly bitter over the betrayal and denied a chance to finally become a true Sith Lord, nevertheless resigned himself to his fate and obediently submitted once more to his master's will.[16]

With his every move under close observation, Darth Vader charged his apprentice to create a distraction that would divert the Emperor's attention away from him. To that end, Starkiller was ordered to create an alliance of rebels and dissidents. To that end, he ordered the apprentice to take great care in maintaining the secrecy of his mission, so as to not alert the Emperor of his survival, nor reveal his Sith identity to his imminent rebel allies. Before cutting off his transmission through PROXY, Darth Vader left the apprentice with one last reminder—the dark side would always be with him.[16]

When Starkiller found a valuable ally in Bail Organa, Starkiller was told that he needed a target to show that the Empire was vulnerable to those that silently opposed it. Seeking his master's council, Vader suggested that the Star Destroyer shipyard over Raxus Prime would be a perfect target, as the Empire's rule through fear was embodied by the awesome might of the Star Destroyers. Although his apprentice remained loyal, Vader could sense that Starkiller was developing feelings for his supposed allies. He sternly reminded the apprentice of where his allegiance truly belonged, a statement which Starkiller solemnly accepted.[16]

Afterward, Vader informed the apprentice of the extent of his successful mission, claiming that Palpatine was greatly displeased at the events on Raxus Prime. Starkiller advised that he could not maintain communications with Vader for the time being, mainly so that the Rebels would not suspect his identity or his past under Vader, which could potentially undo all that he had accomplished in forming the Rebellion. Although Vader initially intended to betray Palpatine with his apprentice at his side,[208] for unknown reasons he later changed his mind and made other plans. He swiftly captured the Rebel senators when they met and signed the Corellian Treaty on Corellia. After revealing to the leaders of the seemingly short-lived Alliance to Restore the Republic that Starkiller was the Sith Lord's secret apprentice, Vader once again assaulted his pupil, only this time with true lethal intent. Unable to bear a second betrayal, Starkiller bitterly lamented that he had been played a fool once again, to which Vader informed him that he never intended to destroy the Emperor—at least, not with Starkiller at his side. It was then that the apprentice realized the truth; credits, starships, Imperial lives, and even Starkiller himself had no value to Vader outside of their use in fulfilling his plans. Having lured the Rebel leaders into one place so they could be revealed and arrested, Starkiller had outlived his usefulness. Just as he was on the verge of killing his apprentice, PROXY, under the holographic guise of Vader's former master Obi-Wan Kenobi, distracted him in a short duel. Although Vader easily defeated the holodroid, Starkiller was gone, having fallen off the cliff outside the rebel site.[16]

The master defeated by the apprentice

"I've trained you well, but you still have much to learn.""You have nothing left to teach me!"

―Darth Vader confronts his former apprentice on-board the Death Star.[src]

Vader brought the Rebel senators to the Death Star I, where they would be interrogated through torture in order to reveal the location of their friends and allies, only to be publicly executed by the Emperor in order to silence further opposition to Sith domination. To everyone's surprise, Starkiller was still alive and had infiltrated the incomplete battle station with the intention of rescuing the Alliance leaders, as well as to seek revenge against his former master. As a sign of his bitterness toward Vader's repeated betrayals, the apprentice dropped the code name and persona of Starkiller, thus accepting his birth name Galen Marek as his new identity. At the Emperor's order, Vader reluctantly went to confront his former apprentice. As they came face to face, Vader taunted Marek that he still had much to learn. Vader then let loose with an all-out offensive barrage, assured of his own superiority as a duelist and believing he would quickly defeat Marek. However, much like Obi-Wan had done decades prior, Marek adopted a defensive stance against Vader, countering and dancing around his assault.[16]

For a time, neither combatant was able to gain any sort of advantage. During the duel, Marek came to realize that he had much in common with his master; they were both slaves to a Dark Lord, but while Marek possessed the strength to break away from Vader, Vader could not do the same with Sidious. Marek then proceeded to taunt Vader with this knowledge, hoping to break his concentration. In addition, he informed Vader that with his new understanding of Vader's life circumstances came pity, and that he intended to end Vader's life as an act of mercy. Marek's taunts, particularly his professions of pity, enraged the already frustrated Sith Lord and caused him to redoubled his attack. Close to being overwhelmed, Marek surprised Vader with a sudden blast of Force lightning, breaking the momentum of Vader's furious onslaught and forcing him onto his back foot. This move allowed Marek to both catch his breath and seize the offensive.[16]

Marek pressed his advantage, scoring two hits on Vader with his lightsaber before telekinetically hurling objects at him from every direction. The final such missile was an energy field generator, which detonated upon contact with Vader. Barely surviving the explosion, his armor and life support systems critically damaged, Vader was unable to continue fighting. However, as Marek moved in for the kill, he saw Vader's face uncovered for the first time and was shocked into pausing. His master, rather than the terrifying cybernetic monster he appeared to be, was a pitifully deformed old man, exhausted and in agony.[16]

Darth Sidious was greatly pleased by the outcome of the duel. Shortly after his reign began, Sidious gradually became as bitter and spiteful of his apprentice as Vader was with him. He had spent more than a decade engineering Anakin Skywalker's fall to the dark side, only to see his perfect apprentice crippled, with both his injuries and emotional instability limiting his powers. After seeing Vader humbled and beaten by a superior opponent, Sidious wasted no time in encouraging the young apprentice to kill his weak and broken master, thus finally becoming a true Sith Lord and taking his rightful place at the Emperor's side. Though sorely tempted by the thought of revenge and the power he could have as a true Sith Lord, Marek chose to follow the light side of the Force by confronting the Emperor. Catching him by surprise, Marek quickly attacked the Emperor with a telekinetic blast. Far from accepting defeat and, much less, death, Sidious goaded the apprentice one last time to give in to the dark side—by slaying the Emperor himself in anger and hatred. With General Kota's help, the apprentice resisted the dark side one last time. Outraged, Sidious struck Kota with Force lightning, refusing to let the Jedi and Rebels have someone as powerful as Marek on their side. However, Marek thrust himself in the way to protect the Jedi and the former senators.[16]

The death of the secret apprentice

"He is dead.""Then he is now more powerful than ever. He was meant to route out the Rebels. His sacrifice will only inspire them."

―Darth Vader and Sidious, after confirming the death of Galen Marek[src]

The injured Vader and Sidious stand over Galen Marek's body.

By this time Vader had recovered enough to muster a squadron of stormtroopers in order to kill the Rebels and his former disciple. As the stormtroopers pursued Kota and the senators, Vader could do nothing more but watch as his master and apprentice locked with each other in a chain of Force lightning. Marek, knowing that he could not survive against the full fury of the Emperor, sacrificed his life and with one last defiant yell, he caused a massive Force explosion that killed all of the stormtroopers in the room and incapacitated the Sith Lords long enough for the Rebels to escape.[16]

After regaining his senses, a severely injured Darth Vader slowly approached the body of Galen Marek, just as Sidious also recovered and looked down at Marek's corpse with shock and disappointment. Darth Vader, his voice solemn, noted that the secret apprentice was truly dead this time.[16]

Darth Sidious was displeased and frustrated at having suffered such an unusual setback. Not only had he failed to kill the leaders of the newborn Rebel Alliance when he had the chance, he also realized that Marek's selfless act of sacrifice would inspire the Rebels and bolster their morale to the point where silent opposition would be replaced by an all-out rebellion through force of arms. Vader swore that he would hunt down and put an end to this new threat, and crushed Marek's lightsaber under his boot heel. In addition, he feigned ignorance at his master's betrayal, making it sound as if the Emperor had planned for the events surrounding the formation of the Rebellion to occur as they had. Having failed to replace Darth Vader with Galen Marek, the Emperor had no choice except to tolerate Vader's existence for a while longer, at least until he could find a new apprentice of the same caliber as Starkiller.[16]

In the aftermath of Galen Marek's death, Darth Vader salvaged the body of his former apprentice and brought it to Kamino, where he stored it in a secret chamber in the Timira CityCloning Facility.[209] With Marek's body serving as a genetic template, the Sith Lord endeavored to create the perfect version of his fallen disciple—a clone that possessed all of Marek's power, but none of his weaknesses.[210] Due to initial imperfections in the accelerated cloning process and the inherent difficulty involved in cloning from a Force sensitive template, the first batch of clones developed extreme mental and physical deformations. As time progressed, the project began to generate superficially stable clones. However, it was soon revealed that these subjects were haunted by various memories and personality fragments of their template. Although many of these clones made it far in their trials, none of them were able to develop stable personalities of their own. The clones would ultimately go on to become fixated on one or two elements of the original Marek's life, and eventually all of them descended into madness.[209]

Another failure

"They are the memories of a dead man. A side effect of the cloning process and the memory flashes used to train you. They will fade."

Darth Vader utilizes several Sith Training Droids to test the strength of a clone of his former apprentice.

As Vader's secret project continued to develop through trial and error, one clone in particular showed a great deal of promise. The clone progressed far enough in his training that Vader considered dispatching him to Cato Neimoidia to execute Rahm Kota. Although he was impressed with the clone's progress, he knew that this subject was just as troubled by Marek's memories as all of the other clones had been. In order to see if the clone was truly strong enough to overcome his template's emotions, Vader provided the clone with a challenge to destroy Sith Training Droids that had taken on the holographic appearance of Rebel troopers. Although the clone easily destroyed the troopers, sparing no feelings for the organization that his progenitor helped to create, he was suddenly dumbfounded by the droid that had taken on the image of a woman he recognized as Juno Eclipse. When Vader commanded the clone to strike her down and demanded that he hate that which Marek loved, the clone struggled to obey, but ultimately refused.[210]

His fears confirmed, Vader destroyed the training droid, causing the image of Juno Eclipse to disappear. Disappointed with yet another failure, the Sith Lord revealed to the confused clone the fact that he had tried many times before to create a perfect version of his original apprentice,[210] only to fail when it came to purging them of Marek's emotional imprints.[17] Despite the successful growth and progress of a different clone of Marek, Vader lied to the clone, telling him that the accelerated cloning process was still imperfect. Before Vader could rectify his mistake by killing his latest failed experiment, the clone unleashed a blast of Force lightning at his master after receiving a vision of Vader's first betrayal of the original Starkiller. While Vader was momentarily dazed by the attack, the clone blasted a hole through a wall and jumped outside in order to escape. In response, Vader alerted the cloning facility's Imperial garrison and commanded them to kill the clone but none of the troopers succeeded. With his forces having little to no success in killing or stalling the clone, Vader moved to intercept him before he could escape. Vader was too late however, and the clone stole his TIE fighter and escape from Kamino.[210] During the clone's travels, he became known by Marek's codename Starkiller after refusing to go by his progenitor's birth name.[17]

Hiring a bounty hunter

Boba Fett: "He has a healthy head start."

Darth Vader: "Find the woman and bring her to me. He will follow."

Boba Fett: "I'll need a squadron of stormtroopers. They won't be coming back."

Shortly after the clone's escape, Darth Vader contacted Boba Fett, the bounty hunter whose skills made him a reliable asset to the Sith Lord. When Fett arrived on Kamino, he surveyed the damage to Timira City and concluded that it would take some time to discover Starkiller's whereabouts. Knowing that the bounty hunter would never be able to capture or defeat Starkiller directly, Vader commanded Fett to abduct Juno Eclipse, the former Imperial captain who had joined the Alliance as commanding officer of the Salvation. Since the clone had inherited his template's emotional attachment to Eclipse, Vader anticipated that the clone would never be able to resist returning to Kamino to save Eclipse.[210]

Despite his own talents, Boba Fett knew that he was not capable of single-handedly assaulting a Rebel cruiser and abducting it's captain all on his own. To that end, he requested that Vader provide him with enough stormtroopers to aid him in completing his mission, though he lacked confidence in the troopers' ability to survive. Vader's only concern was bringing the clone back to Kamino, regardless of how many resources he had to use to achieve this goal. As such, Vader provided Fett with a far greater and more capable force than he had requested, including Terror Troopers, Terror Droids, Terror Biodroids, and a Terror Walker.[210]

The "perfect" clone of Starkiller

Darth Vader: "Do you understand what this is? What this means."

Dark Apprentice: "Yes, my Master."

Darth Vader: "Good. Very good. You have come far. You may yet survive."

Darth Vader reveals the dead body of Galen Marek to the Dark Apprentice, the only perfect clone of the original Starkiller

Around this time, Darth Vader was training another clone that showed a great deal of potential. Unsurprisingly, this clone inherited the same disturbing memories and emotions of his genetic template just like his brothers before him. Upon being released from his cloning tank, the clone was confronted by Marek's memories of Juno Eclipse, thus causing the clone to ask about her whereabouts. Vader simply stated that Eclipse was irrelevant, and all that mattered was the training that lay ahead for the clone.[209]

In the early phase of his training, the clone revealed to Vader that he possessed memories, but could not tell if they actually belonged to him. Having dealt with enough of Marek's clones suffering from an identity crisis, Vader knew all too well what the clone was talking about. He simply explained that the clone was copied from the cells of Marek's corpse, thus allowing him to inherit the original Starkiller's strengths and weaknesses. Although the clone continued to survive in his trials, Vader was not yet fully convinced that this was the one he sought to create, recalling all of the other clones that made it far in their training—only to fail in the end. Even though the clone was determined to not fail his Master, it didn't stop him from becoming curious about the exact number of clones that came before him, or from wondering about what his progenitor was like as a person before he died. Vader dismissed the clone's questions as pointless curiosity. All that mattered to him was if any more clones would be created if this one failed. With Marek dead and his power surpassed by the clone, Vader felt that delving into the details of his original apprentice's identity was irrelevant.[209]

To the amazement of both the lead cloning technician and Darth Vader, the clone was gradually able to compartmentalize his template's memories while forming new ones of his own. Thus, he succeeded in achieving what none of his brothers were capable of doing—holding Marek's memories as separate from his own experience. By doing so, the clone had come to know for certain that he was a copy and that the original Starkiller was truly dead. Vader greatly approved, and promised to prove what the clone already knew to be true. That proof was revealed by Vader to be the body of the late Galen Marek, stored within a cold chamber in Timira City. By seeing Marek's corpse with his own eyes, the clone understood that he had succeeded where all of the clones failed before him, and that he was well on his way to fulfilling the purpose of his creation—much to Vader's delight.[209]

Near the end of his training, the clone had apparently severed the last remnants of the emotional imprints left behind by Galen Marek. After striking down a Sith Training Droid disguised in the holographic image of Juno Eclipse, Vader asked the clone how he felt. The clone replied that the emotions he felt were hate for his template's weaknesses, disgust for his failings, and pride for rising above them. With the conclusion of this test, Vader's goal had finally been accomplished. After a long line of failures, a single successful clone had risen to become his Dark Apprentice. When the Rebel Alliance launched an assault on Kamino's Imperial defenses, Vader ordered the Dark Apprentice to not interfere unless he was needed, and only then would his training finally be completed.[209] Shortly before the battle, Starkiller, the renegade clone who escaped from Kamino, received a vision of the imminent future. In this vision, he saw that the Dark Apprentice would kill him if he tried to destroy Darth Vader, who had been disarmed and defeated in the vision.[17]

The Battle of Kamino

When Boba Fett returned to Timira City with Juno Eclipse as his prisoner, Darth Vader greeted both of them in person. Although he was slightly tempted to summarily execute Eclipse for treason, as well as the inconvenience that the Alliance caused for him, the Sith Lord maintained his focus on using Eclipse as bait to lure Marek's wayward clone back to Kamino. Fett wanted to leave the planet before the battle commenced, as he believed his job to be finished and had no desire to encounter the vengeful Starkiller. However, Vader commanded the bounty hunter to remain planet-side until Starkiller was once again in Imperial custody, and withheld Fett's payment to strong-arm him into doing so. Accompanied by a squad of stormtroopers, Darth Vader and Juno Eclipse proceeded to a tower located at the top of the cloning facility.[17]

When the battle began, Starkiller directed the Salvation on a collision course with Timira City. While Eclipse and the stormtroopers became increasingly nervous, Vader maintained a calm stance and awaited the clone's return. While the first half of the ship crashed into the cloning facility, Starkiller destroyed the second solid fragment so as to not inadvertently harm Eclipse. While the clone made his way to the top of the facility, killing all Imperials in his way, Vader secured Eclipse in the tower and moved to confront his former apprentice.[17]

Within the cloning facility, Darth Vader and Starkiller engaged in a lightsaber duel. While Starkiller pressed his attack and demanded to know where Eclipse was, Vader stood his ground against the clone. Having learned his lesson after nearly being killed by Marek, Vader refrained from the same sort of reckless offense that he utilized against Marek. He fought more defensively and cautiously, knowing that the cloned Starkiller was not to be taken lightly. In order to stall and demoralize Starkiller, Vader unleashed various imperfect clones of Marek and commanded them to attack their renegade brother. Starkiller was shocked to see that there were other clones of Marek besides himself, and realized that he was wrong in believing that Vader had lied about creating other clones before him.[17] These clones however, presented no real threat to Starkiller, and he easily dispatched them.[210]

After defeating the aberrant clones, Starkiller pursued Vader all the way to the cloning tower where he found Juno Eclipse at Vader's mercy. The Sith Lord elevated Eclipse off of the ground and began choking her through the Force. Vader gave the clone a final chance to surrender, or watch as he killed Eclipse. Overwhelmed with fear and concern for Eclipse's life, Starkiller dropped his lightsabers and obeyed, promising to serve the Sith Lord once more as long as Eclipse remained unharmed. Satisfied, Vader released Eclipse from his grip and commanded the clone to kill General Kota. With nothing but silent compliance from the clone, Vader told Starkiller that he would go on to become fully immersed in the dark side and that he would execute the Alliance leaders; resistance or failure to meet any of Vader's expectations would cost Juno Eclipse her life.[17]

However, Eclipse refused to be the catalyst for Starkiller's return to the dark side and attempted to assassinate Darth Vader with one of the clone's lightsabers. Warned by his senses at the last second, Vader narrowly dodged her strike, turing her attempted death blow into a gash on his chest panel. In retaliation, Vader blasted Eclipse out of the tower, causing her to fall on a landing platform before losing consciousness.[210]

In a rage, Starkiller grabbed both of his sabers and attacked Vader, only to be thrown out of the tower as well. Before he could get to Eclipse, Vader leapt out of the tower and landed on the platform, purposely standing between the clone and Eclipse.[210] Although initially Starkiller could not understand why Vader would risk his life by damaging or even destroying the one tool he could use to control him, the clone came to believe that Juno's death was what Vader had wanted all along. By killing Eclipse, Vader intended to remove Starkiller's only reason for resisting his purpose as a Sith, thus causing Starkiller to fall headlong back into the fold of the dark side.[17]

Finishing the duel

As the two engaged in combat once more, Vader tried to convince the clone to rise above his concern for Eclipse, stating that her life was meaningless and that her death fueled his strength in the dark side. He reminded the clone that his feelings for the woman were counterfeit, nothing more than the emotional imprints left behind by a man who was no longer even alive.[210] Between trying to kill Vader and get to Eclipse, Starkiller came to suspect that he and his master were more alike than he first believed. He came to wonder how far the Emperor had gone in creating Darth Vader, and how far Vader would go to destroy his master in order to replace him. With these thoughts, the clone managed to calm himself to a degree, and he tried to suggest that Vader work with the Alliance against the Emperor. Vader ignored this statement and continued his attacks with increasing aggression, making it perfectly clear that he wanted nothing to do with the Rebellion.

As the duel progressed, Starkiller came to the conclusion that, despite his memories of having bested Vader as Marek, Vader's adjustments to his combat technique had resulted in a situation where the best outcome Starkiller could hope to achieve in their duel was a stalemate. This problem was further exacerbated by the fact that Vader wished to keep Starkiller alive, and was fighting to disable rather than kill. As such, Starkiller formulated a plan to feign surrender for the sole purpose of getting Vader to drop his guard, hoping that Vader's desire to keep him alive would provide him with an opening.[17]

Darth Vader is subdued by Force lightning.

The battle nearly ended when Vader managed to disarm Starkiller and destroy his lightsabers. Vader taunted his weaponless opponent, telling him he had one last chance to surrender, or he would die. Starkiller appeared to capitulate and Vader, believing the fight was over, dropped his guard. What Vader didn't know however, was that Starkiller had been waiting for just such an opportunity. As soon as Vader lowered his guard, Starkiller absorbed a lightning bolt from a nearby lightning rod and used it in conjunction with his own powers to unleash an extremely powerful electrical blast at Vader. The blast hit Vader's chest panel, directly striking the gash that Juno had carved into it with her earlier surprise attack. Vader's life support systems were damaged by the lightning to the point where he could no longer defend himself, and Starkiller used the opportunity to telekinetically pull Vader's lightsaber from his hand. Vader fell to one knee as Starkiller swept Vader's own lightsaber up at his throat.[17]

Before Starkiller could decide to kill the Sith Lord, Kota arrived with his squad and urged the clone to spare Vader's life, but only so that the Alliance could take Vader as its prisoner. Starkiller, torn between Kota's reasons and the desire to take revenge, was conflicted over what to do at first. As he struggled with this internal conflict, he also recalled his earlier vision of what might happen to him if he chose to take revenge. While Kota implored Starkiller to think of the valuable information that Vader could provide the Alliance with, Vader goaded the clone to embrace his destiny and strike him down.[210]

Darth Vader is captured by the Rebel Alliance.

In the end, Starkiller spared Vader's life, turning away from the dark side. As such, the Dark Apprentice stayed his hand as well, since Vader's life was no longer in immediate jeopardy. Vader was subsequently arrested by Kota and heavily restrained aboard the Rogue Shadow, while Starkiller tended to Eclipse, who had barely survived the Sith Lord's attack on her.[210]

A prisoner of the Rebel Alliance

After being secured in a harness that covered most of his body and completely restricted his ability to move, Vader was placed inside the Rogue Shadow's meditation chamber. There, Starkiller visited the captured Sith Lord shortly before the Rebel fleet departed from Kamino. Although he nearly lost his confidence at the sight of his former Master, Starkiller began mocking Vader by gloating on how he chose to spare his life. Although he remained uncertain over his own origins, he dismissed it as irrelevant, stating that he had succeeded in breaking Vader's hold over him. Throughout Starkiller's short display of new-found confidence in himself, Vader remained silent the entire time and did not indulge the clone with the answers he sought. Seeing the pointlessness in his actions, Starkiller turned to leave.[210]

But at that moment, Vader declared to the clone that he would never be free as long as Juno Eclipse was alive. Refusing to give Vader the satisfaction of seeing the uncertainty in his eyes, Starkiller exited the meditation chamber and left Vader in the darkness of the room where he was confined. After the Rebel fleet left Kamino, Starkiller and Eclipse took control of the Rogue Shadow and departed for Dantooine with Vader onboard as their prisoner—unaware that they were being followed by Slave I, piloted by Boba Fett.[210]

At some point prior to the Battle of Yavin, Darth Vader escaped from captivity and resumed his place at Emperor Palpatine's side. As Supreme Commander of the Imperial Military, he continued to execute his mandate to destroy the Rebel Alliance he unwittingly created through the original Starkiller's actions.

Encountering Tao

Ultimately giving up on recreating Starkiller, but still determined to gain an apprentice so he could overthrow Sidious, Vader eventually travelled to the planet of Shumari, already being subjugated by the Imperials, under the pretense of completing the destruction of the planet's Jedi fugitives. The Sith Lord then engaged several Jedi and took them down effortlessly, eventually saving their leader for last. Although ultimately successful in defeating the Jedi, a surviving Jedi youngling named Tao, enraged at the death of the Jedi leader, sees Vader and stares him down in rage. Vader ultimately saw use in the boy, and made him his second secret apprentice. He trained the boy in the ways of the Dark Side, and like Marek before him, he also dropped him on Honoghr to survive and fight a Noghri Death Commando party unarmed. Despite his potential, however, Vader wasn't able to get the boy to become fully immersed in the Dark Side.

Unlicensed information ends here.

Pre-Yavin

Shortly before the Battle of Yavin, the Emperor's hand Mara Jade discovered the location of Jedi Master An'ya Kuro, also known as "the Dark Woman". Both Jade and Vader wished to be the one to kill the Jedi, but Palpatine assigned the task to Vader. Shortly thereafter, Vader arrived on Cophrigin V and made his way to the lush sanctuary that was Kuro's home. After a short debate on the nature and capabilities of the light and dark sides of the Force, the two engaged one another. Vader killed his opponent, but she immediately re-appeared as a Force ghost, proclaiming that, in death, she had proven the light side was greater than the dark. She then stated that Vader still possessed the power to turn away from the dark side, but Vader exclaimed that he did not seek emancipation and struck at the ghost with his blade. Kuro then vanished, and Vader departed.[211] When this was done, Palpatine called an end to the Great Jedi Purge, as he believed that the few Jedi who remained were of so little importance that tracking them down would be a waste of time and resources.

At some point during the early stages of the conflict, Darth Vader, after the Empire suspected that the travel agency Star Tours was transporting rebel spies, commanded a task force to commence a raid on Spaceport THX1138 located at the Earth system, which had been composed of an entire fleet of Imperial-class Star Destroyers to apprehend a Rebel agent that had stowed away aboard one of the StarSpeeder 1000s, as well as hired Boba Fett to track the vessel and capture it in the event that the vessel successfully escaped capture during the raid.[212]

After the shuttle the spy was located on was narrowed down as being Star Tours Flight 1401, destined for Coruscant, Vader personally led a contingent of Stormtroopers and Skytroopers onto the station, located the current route that Flight 1401 was to depart from, blocked its path, and attempted to use the Force to prevent it from leaving while riding on a Hover Platform. However, he was forced to release it after R2-D2 (at the time onboard the ship) fired several laser cannons at Vader, although not before sending a squad of four TIE/LN starfighters after it. The ship ultimately managed to escape into hyperspace.[213]

Later, Vader oversaw the construction of the Death Star over Geonosis. After Flight 1401 had resurfaced and narrowly evaded Fett's Slave I, Vader, commanding a squadron of TIE Fighters, ordered for the StarSpeeder 1000's capture, although it evaded their pursuit by going into the inner workings of the then-under construction battle station and entered hyperspace.[213]

Unlicensed information ends here.

Vader and Palpatine were the targets of a group of treacherous Imperial officers led by Grand MoffTrachta. Trachta saw the Sith as foolish and archaic, and believed that the Empire should not be ruled by a two-man cult. They planned to use a batch of altered stormtroopers loyal only to them to destroy the two Sith Lords. While the Emperor was dealing with the conspirators, Vader set out on a mission of his own to the planet Dargulli to locate a mysterious, powerful Jedi. But, instead of a Jedi Knight, he was confronted by a cadre of bounty hunters who had come to the conclusion that ganging up on—and defeating—the Sith Lord would bring them fame and fortune. With the help of another bounty hunter, Boba Fett, Vader quickly disposed of his attackers, only to be approached by a female darksider whom Vader eliminated despite her offering to become his apprentice. Afterward, Vader returned to find the conspirators' plot dismantled, due in large part to internal fighting between the co-conspirators.

An old enemy

With the loss of the stolen Death Star plans during a prison break in 0 BBY, Vader was charged by the Emperor himself with retrieving the missing schematics. When word reached him of a possible Rebel Alliance courier en route to the volcanic Sith moon of Kalakar Six with the plans in tow, the Dark Lord investigated, shadowed by his Master. What greeted Vader was unthinkable: a splinter group of Sith fanatics who had managed through their Sith alchemy to create a dopplegänger of Darth Maul.[214]

It is unknown whether this Maul was created by cloning or through other means. Whatever the case, the Zabrak was no longer a mere specter like the one Vader had encountered as Anakin Skywalker, and thus Vader was pressed into combat with Maul, who sought to supplant him as Palpatine's new apprentice. In the eyes of Maul and the fanatics, Vader's time as a Jedi had "tainted" him, and only a pure Sith should rule by Sidious's side. Both Sith Lords seemed to be equals in combat, until Vader cut Darth Maul's lightsaber in two, followed by Maul switching to the Jar'Kai style. Now armed with two weapons, Maul held off Vader's lightsaber with one of his blades, and cut into his helmet with the other. Feeling assured of victory, Maul prepared to deliver the final blow. However, Maul paid for his overconfidence with his life, as Vader took his lightsaber and stabbed it through his own body and into Maul's.[214]

As Vader met up once more with a suspiciously unsurprised Palpatine, the badly damaged Dark Lord could not help but suspect that the encounter was yet another test. The distrust between mentor and student, fed by years of such trials, grew.[214]

Searching for the Death Star plans

"Several transmissions were beamed to this ship by Rebel spies. I want to know what happened to the plans they sent you.""I don't know what you're talking about. I'm a member of the Imperial Senate on a diplomatic mission to Alderaan.""You are a part of the Rebel Alliance and a traitor! Take her away!!"

With the Kalakar VI mission deemed a wild bantha chase, Vader returned to his twofold priority of both locating the Death Star plans as well as the hidden Rebel base. After the 501st Legion'sfailed attempt to recover the Death Star plans on Polis Massa, Imperials were able to track where they were sent—Tantive IV, a corvette belonging to Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan. Vader chased after the corvette personally. Organa was able to load the Death Star plans aboard R2-D2 and send the droid to Tatooine. Vader once more lost the plans, but gained a partial victory in capturing the Princess. However, he was personally displeased that he captured her near Tatooine, due to harboring painful memories of his last encounter with his mother.[162] Taking the Alderaanian senator to the Death Star, Vader utilized an IT-O interrogation droid to question Organa about the location of the secret Alliance base, not realizing he was torturing his own daughter. At the same time, Vader ordered the execution of Owen and Beru Lars after the couple refused to give any details about the missing droids.[215]

Afterwards, Vader participated in a meeting aboard the Death Star regarding its operability and the current status of the missing plans. Vader commented that they were currently working on retrieving the plans, but warned one of the staff at the meeting, Admiral Motti, that the battle station's capabilities are still inferior compared to the Force. He then demonstrated the validity of his claim when he attempted to Force choke Motti after the latter insubordinately retorted, only stopping when Grand Moff Tarkin verbally intervened.

When Organa refused to surrender the location of the Alliance's base, even under torture, Vader brought her to the Death Star's command bridge. There, Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin gave her an ultimatum; either she would reveal the location of the Rebel base, or she would watch as the Death Star obliterated her homeworld. With no way out, Organa attempted to deceive Tarkin by falsely claiming that the Rebel base was on Dantooine. Though Tarkin accepted the lie without pause, he ordered the destruction of Alderaan regardless, as he believed Dantooine was too remote to serve as an effective demonstration of the Death Star's power. Vader stood silently behind his daughter and watched as the Death Star destroyed Alderaan, killing Senator Bail Prestor Organa and nearly two billion others.

Showdown on the Death Star

"I've been waiting for you, Obi-Wan. We meet again at last. The circle is now complete. When I left you, I was but the learner—now I am the Master.""Only a master of evil, Darth."

When the ship carrying Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Chewbacca and Obi-Wan Kenobi was seized by a tractor beam and brought aboard the Death Star, Vader sensed the presence of his former master for the first time since being left to die on Mustafar. Quietly stalking him through the hallways of the battlestation, he finally confronted Kenobi just outside the hangar. Challenging him to a second lightsaber duel, the two engaged one another. Ignoring Obi-Wan's vague warning that killing him would make him "more powerful than [Vader] can possibly imagine", Vader viciously struck him down. However, instead of dying, Kenobi became a spirit in the Force who continued to guide Luke Skywalker.[12]

Despite the curious disappearance of Kenobi's body, Vader felt he had finally killed the man that had been the focus for most of his rage for almost two decades. In addition, Vader got a brief glimpse of Skywalker, although he was unable to pursue him due to Luke shooting out controls, sealing Darth Vader inside. Before leaving the hanger doorway, he retrieved his former master's lightsaber as a keepsake.

Battle of Yavin

To determine the location of the Rebel base, Vader allowed Luke and Han Solo to rescue Princess Leia and escape with the technical readouts of the Death Star. During the Battle of Yavin, he learned about the progress of the battle from lieutenantTanbris. Realizing that the station's point defense systems were not tight enough to effectively counter the Rebel's snubfighters, he also learned of Tarkin's refusal to launch any of the station's fighter squadrons. Understanding that the Rebel fighters posed a real threat to the station, Vader judged Tarkin's decision to be foolhardy and immediately scrambled his personal TIE Fighter squadron, Black Squadron. While leading Black Squadron, he piloted a distinctive TIE Advanced x1 fighter. During this time, he also discovered an unauthorized deployment of a Lambda-class shuttle from the station. He then attempted to shoot it down, although he later learned that a pilot had managed to go to the trench, forcing him to let the shuttle escape. Vader sensed that the young pilot in his sights was Force-sensitive, putting into motion a series of future events that culminated in the death of the Empire. In addition, he also anticipated that one of the X-wing pilots, X2, would attempt to save Luke, and ordered for the turbolasers to specifically target X2 to draw him away. Just before he could destroy his quarry, the Millennium Falcon suddenly appeared and shot down one of his two support craft. Seeing this, his other wingman panicked and veered into Vader's fighter, sending him spinning away from the battle station just before it exploded.

Crash landing on Vaal

Vader limped to Vaal, where he abandoned his wrecked TIE Advanced. During his journey to the Imperial communications outpost there, he was attacked by a pack of hyenax. He killed several of the attacking predators, including their leader, earning the creatures' respect. Without understanding or intending to to do so, he assumed the fallen leader's position in the pack hierarchy and the creatures followed him. Along with the pack, he continued his travel to the relay station. There, he boarded a Lambda-class shuttle without a word to the shocked crew, leaving them to be slaughtered by the hyenax. He soon arrived at Coruscant, where he expected to dispatch a team to recover the TIE and to re-staff the outpost.[216] Instead, Sate Pestage ordered Vader to join Captain Sodarra in retrieving the fighter.[217]

Aftermath

Vader's team recovered the fighter, and during this time, the Imperial spy Rogor contacted Vader and informed him that the Rebels on Yavin 4 were more vulnerable than ever. He launched a surprise attack on the moon, but found it deserted, save for the now-outed spy. Rogor received the brunt of Vader's anger for the waste of time.[218] Little did Vader know that the Alliance had only evacuated most of its heavy equipment. The base's command and support staff were trapped by the Imperial blockade overseen from Jovan Station. They returned to the Massassi Temples, but not before Vader and his forces left the Yavin System.

But Vader did not make it out of the Bright Jewel Oversector. The system was ruled by Governor-General Nox Vellam, one of Vader's many rivals in the Empire, and the leader of one of the blockades that impeded the Rebel evacuation. Vellam nearly destroyed the Sith Lord, but Captain Sodarra rescued the remains of the fighter and Vader's comatose body. He fled the system in a corvette, planning to take Vader to an Imperial base on Shador. Their flight was interrupted when Vellam's flagship caught up with them. Sodarra's ship was destroyed, but he and Vader were rescued by a most unlikely person—Han Solo, who was chasing Alfreda Goot, a bounty hunter who was holding Leia Organa captive on Tatooine. Vader's life was placed in jeopardy once again when Han and Chewbacca decided to place a bomb on the crate, but after Solo discovered that Goot was one of Vader's agents, he had no choice but to travel to Tatooine and exchange Vader's life for Leia's.[217]

Suspicion

After the exchange, Vader decided not to immediately return to Coruscant, instead making reports to Palpatine via hologram. The Emperor would be furious, but Vader wanted to track down the Force-sensitive pilot who had destroyed the Death Star first. Vader had sensed a strong Force ability in the pilot, one unmatched by any living person in the galaxy save for himself and his Master. If such a being was serving the Rebel Alliance, the balance could tip in their favor, and so this pilot had to be hunted down and destroyed.

And yet, after his duel with Kenobi on the Death Star, Vader had spotted a young man among those who escaped, one who had been distraught at the death of the old Jedi Master. And the ship on which they had arrived had come from Tatooine. All circumstantial evidence, certainly, but it was enough to give Vader an inkling of the pilot's possible heritage.

Uncovering the identity of the Rebel pilot before the Emperor's agents could do so became Vader's top priority. His second would be the ousting of the Imperials who would act against him, as Vellam had done. There were many ambitious men in the Empire who wished to take Vader's place at the Emperor's side, and the recent incident with Vellam may have convinced Vader that these power-hungry beings could be a direct threat to him. The Sith Lord began formulating a plan that would eliminate them, starting with the Fleet Admirals of the Imperial Navy. Eventually, Vader planned to finish dealing with the more powerful Tagge family and the crime lord Prince Xizor.

Vader also had a command role in the Blockade of Kashyyyk, intending to root out the Rebels directly responsible for the destruction of the Death Star, as the Imperials knew that Han Solo was a friend of Chewbacca, a Wookiee from Kashyyyk and thus would spend time with the Wookiees for Life Day. Ultimately, the operation failed due to quick thinking by Chewbacca's relatives.[219]

Construction of the Executor

Vader with ignited lightsaber

However, Vader's plan would require time to come to fruition. In the meantime, the Rebels on Yavin could not be ignored. Darth Vader knew now that he would have to deal with the Rebels carefully. He didn't want them to escape or pull a victory out of the void, as they had at the Battle of Yavin. Vader thought that perhaps the key to defeating the Rebels would be Executor, which was under construction at the shipyards of Fondor. With this in mind, he ordered a blockade of the Gordian Reach, the sector containing the Yavin system. This would keep the Rebels in place until Vader could return to deal with them. In the meantime, Vader resumed his search for the pilot.

The fleet was assigned to the command of General Ulric Tagge, who would maintain the blockade, while Vader charged Captain Bzorn with the task of persecuting Rebel worlds. Now free to search for the Rebel pilot, Vader took Devastator to the Ultaar, where the Sith Lord had learned of a Rebel information retrieval outpost. He hoped to interrogate the Rebels there and learn the identity of that elusive X-wing pilot.

En route to Ultaar, Vader detected the passing presence of a Force-sensitive. This new lead was fortunate, for Vader discovered that the retrieval team on Ultaar had been wiped out by a bounty hunter named Beilert Valance, who was seeking information on a boy with two droids—apparently the pilot Vader was also hunting. Far from being distressed, Vader found the concept of a rival interesting.

On Devastator, Captain Wermis and his crew discovered the Force-sensitive's destination: the Wheel. Devastator raced to the system, where Vader found his prey escaping the station in a yacht. The Sith Lord directed his attention toward capturing the vessel, only to be attacked from behind by a familiar smuggling ship—the same ship that had ruined his defense of the Death Star. Vader gave orders for the ship to be destroyed at once, but his firing command was interrupted by a flash of pain emanating from the Force user on the yacht. The pain itself passed quickly, but the surprise gave both ships time to escape into hyperspace.

Although his quarry had eluded him for the time being, Vader had gained valuable information. He knew that the Rebel pilot was part of a group aiding Princess Leia Organa, a group that included the smugglers who had attacked him at the Death Star.

The next lead turned up when a Rebel spy was discovered, a spy who knew the name of another Rebel, one who had been at Yavin just before the battle, and who in turn knew the name of the elusive pilot. Vader tortured a name and location out of the Rebel: Tyler Lucian, hiding at Rubyflame Lake, a former resort on the planet Centares. Vader rushed to the location, only to find that his rival Valance had arrived first. The bounty hunter had apparently had a change of heart after wiping out the Rebels at Ultaar. Valance was now convinced that the boy Vader pursued was the galaxy's only hope for a better tomorrow. The bounty hunter perished after a short battle, but not before convincing Tyler Lucian to commit suicide. The pilot's identity remained a mystery.

Later, the forces of General Ulric Tagge's blockade engaged a Rebel fleet in battle in the Feriae system. Tagge's flagship was destroyed during the skirmish, as was a House of Tagge mining explorer containing family members Silas and BaronOrman Tagge. General Tagge escaped the destruction of his ship, and with the apparent death of his older siblings, the title of Baron fell to him. The new Baron claimed that the battle arose as part of a standard blockade action, but Darth Vader's spies informed him that it was something more. The spies also rescued Silas and Orman Tagge from the wreckage around Junction. Both were barely alive, but Darth Vader ordered Devastator's medical droids to begin restoring the life functions of the Tagge brothers. The Sith Lord saw this as his opportunity to end the Tagge family's constant scheming against him.

Vader also wished to continue hunting for the Rebel pilot, but after a fruitless month of searching, he had no choice but to return to Coruscant and face the Emperor. Leaving Devastator, the Sith Lord commandeered a Carrack-class cruiser for his voyage to Coruscant, taking with him the salvaged fighter.

Punishment

Darth Vader

Vader found the Emperor in a bacta tank, recovering from an adventure on Korriban. Lord Sidious assigned Vader the task of recovering Admiral Termo, who had gone missing in the Yavin system months before. The Admiral, who had sent a distress signal from the planet Malagarr, had in his possession data tapes detailing a final plan of Grand Moff Tarkin's. Vader retrieved the tapes, killed the Admiral, and returned to Coruscant.

Vader presented the data tapes to the Emperor. Palpatine was not pleased with Vader's failure at the Battle of Yavin, however. Darth Vader was apparently punished for this failure by losing his already mechanical hand, though the information on this incident came from a strictly secondary source.

Vader was then instructed to head to Fondor to oversee the construction of Executor while the task of developing Tarkin's project was assigned to others. After a member of that team was imprisoned, Vader had to hire a bounty hunter for a rescue mission, and then a Rebel droid destroyed the project headquarters on Malagarr. En route to Fondor, Vader contacted the Emperor to inform him of these new developments.

The project underway at Fondor was the Empire's largest undertaking since the Death Star. The Imperial military objected to this concentration of resources, claiming that it was little better than the Death Star. They also suspected that the Sith Lord was using his position with the Emperor to increase his own personal power, though few fully grasped the relationship between the two.[220] Vader cared little for the thoughts of Admirals, but he resumed command of Devastator and conducted a fleet test near Fondor to settle the issue in his own mind.

Confronting the past

Vader eventually ended up having to return to Jabiim to oversee an invasion of the planet, despite earlier vowing that he'd never return to the planet because of his mistake back during the Clone Wars at that time. Ironically, at the same battle, the Jabiimi people nearly executed the Rebel pilot he was looking for, Luke Skywalker, due to the actions that Anakin committed years ago. Eventually, he ordered for the entire planet to be bombarded. His official reason was to deprive the Rebels of a valuable ally, but in truth, it was because he was unable to bear remembering the mistake he made 21 years prior.[221] He also tortured Jorin Sol, a Rebel mathematician who was left behind during the battle, and proceeded to torture and then reprogram him into a sleeper agent before the Rebels rescued him.[222]

The son of Skywalker

"The son of Skywalker must not become a Jedi…""If he could be turned, he would become a powerful ally…"

Vader's spies had learned of a Rebel pilot who had returned to his homeworld of Centares bringing with him a firsthand account of the Battle of Yavin. Vader hired a team of bounty hunters and Ban Papeega to bring the man in. On Centares, the Rebel finally revealed the last name of the pilot who had destroyed the Death Star—Skywalker. This was the same name Vader had found on Anchorhead municipal records for a T-16 skyhopper owned by a nineteen year old human boy who had resided at the Lars farm. It was also, according to a Mos Eisley based Kubaz spy called Garindan, the name found on a Spaceport Speeders sales record for a landspeeder purchased from a young man who had left Tatooine on the freighter Millennium Falcon.[223]

Vader had gone for months without knowing the name of the one he had sought, but he now suspected that Amidala had given birth before she died. Vader did in fact have a son, in contrast to what Palpatine had told him. This knowledge succeeded in touching a side of Vader that had long lain dormant.

The Sith Lord quickly dismissed these emotions, however. Kenobi had gotten to the boy first, and he was serving the enemy now. Skywalker would have to be turned, or he would have to be destroyed. With his son at his side, Vader would have no need of Sidious.

But for his plan to succeed, Vader knew his Master could not discover his true intentions. He quickly set about slaughtering the bounty hunters who had captured the Rebel. While the Sith Lord was busy executing mercenaries and bounty hunters, the Rebel pilot who had betrayed the name to him was killed by Mala Mala, preventing Vader from discovering anything more.

In the Emperor's throne room at Imperial City, Darth Vader came before Palpatine in person for the first time after the destruction of the first Death Star. The Emperor inquired after Vader's apparent loss at Fondor, as well as the destruction of Tarkin's project. Vader made no reference to Skywalker, stating instead that he pursued the pilot who destroyed the Death Star for revenge. After his meeting with the Emperor, Vader received notice that Skywalker had been given a diplomatic assignment on Jazbina, and set out immediately to capture his son.

Vader ordered the ruler of Jazbina, Prepredenko, to hold Skywalker until he arrived. The young man managed to escape custody, but Vader cornered him before he could leave the planet. The Sith Lord came face to face with his son for the first time. Skywalker was protected by the Rebels of Jazbina, but surrendered himself when Vader threatened to have his Interdictor bomb the cities of the planet. It seemed that Vader's quest had come to an end.

But a single Rebel pilot, Jal Te Gniev, managed to destroy the Interdictor in a suicide run, and a crowd of angry Jazbinans neutralized Vader's stormtroopers. Skywalker had managed to sway the entire planet to the Rebel cause. Faced with the prospect of having to battle the massive populace protecting his son on his own, Vader returned to Coruscant without his prize. When he visited Palpatine to inform him of his failure to capture the pilot, he was addressed to by the Emperor, who in fact knew of the Rebel's identity as well, as "Skywalker."

Now that Skywalker was known to his Master, Vader would have to work quickly. He departed Coruscant in the Devastator, searching for Rebel bases. The Sith Lord's forces decimated a Rebel refueling station, where the torture of a Rebel officer revealed Skywalker's full name—Luke Skywalker.[224]

Upon discovering this information, Vader let his apprentice, Tao, go free. Tao had been unable to display the anger and hatred necessary to embrace the dark side anyway, and Vader planned to train his newly-found son in his place. It was only then that Tao displayed his anger toward Vader but, upon leaving, was captured by the Emperor himself. While Palpatine officially conferred upon Vader the newly-christened Executor, he also brought Tao before Vader and ordered him to strike Tao down to prove his loyalty. Though he did not want to, Vader was unable to control his body and soon slashed his lightsaber through Tao's torso.

Vader, distraught at what he had been forced to do, took the near-dead Tao to his home planet of Shumari to die where he had been born. While there, Vader was attacked by KkH'Oar'Rrhr, who had been tracking him ever since Vader had destroyed his village and killed his family. Hoar quickly gained an advantage over Vader, damaging his armor and revealing the lightsabers which he had built into his gaderfii. Just as the Tusken was about to strike Vader down, Tao rose from the brink of death and struck it down, saving Vader's life. Just before he died, Tao pleaded with Vader to let go of his hatred and not let the Emperor control him; Tao still sensed some good within his master. After carving a small monument to Tao, Vader returned to his former home on Tatooine briefly to contemplate the fact that he now had a son.

Unlicensed information ends here.

Subjugation of the Tagge family

Now Vader moved to bring the Tagge family to heel. Vader confronted the new Baron, using the Force to extract a confession: Tagge revealed that he and his brothers had planned to destroy the Rebels at Junction with a new invention, in an attempt to win the favor of the Emperor from Vader. The General also disclosed the fact that the Tagge family had known of Skywalker for weeks. Enraged, Vader revealed to the General the survival of his older siblings, and threatened to bring the entire family before Palpatine if Ulric continued to oppose him.

Now satisfied that the House of Tagge was no longer a threat, Vader traveled to the ringed world of Monastery, home of the Order of the Sacred Circle, to which the youngest Tagge family member, Domina Tagge, belonged. Vader forced the young woman into cooperating with him, promising power and prestige in the Order, as well as revenge on Luke Skywalker, for Domina believed her brother dead. Domina hated Vader, but she also despised Skywalker.

The Order had remained carefully neutral in the Galactic Civil War, but Vader, in hopes of capturing Skywalker, made overtures on behalf of the Empire. The Order wished to hear both sides, and Domina Tagge journeyed to Yavin, where she convinced the Alliance to send Skywalker as their representative.

When Luke Skywalker arrived on Monastery, Vader confronted him once more, insulting the Rebel and using every opportunity to diminish him in the eyes of the Order's elders. Vader succeeded in goading Skywalker into a lightsaber duel, but before their blades could cross, Domina intervened. She took advantage of the situation, and now schemed to eliminate both the Rebel and the Sith Lord. Luke and Vader were forced to take their duel to the deadly Crystal Valley.

Vader did not intend to engage Skywalker in combat just yet. First he wished to test the young man's abilities. He had arranged for Orman Tagge to escape from the Devastator, and when the former baron arrived, Vader took his vengeance upon Tagge. He knew that, above all else, Tagge had valued the innocence of his younger sister. Vader showed him that he had corrupted Domina, and then forced Tagge to battle Luke Skywalker, disguising him with the Force so that Orman appeared to Luke as Vader, until the illusion was shattered by the death of Tagge.

At the Wheel, Fondor, and Jazbina, Luke and his abilities with the Force had been an unknown factor, but now, after this thorough test, Vader knew the limitations of the young Rebel. Vader intended to capture his son, but Luke escaped, and it would be years before they would meet face-to-face again.

Incompetence and pursuit

Vader received word from Sebastian Parnell that his son had been captured on Tol Ado, and was being held for the Sith Lord. Skywalker managed to escape, however, and Vader executed Parnell for his incompetence.

Luke managed to disappear after these events, and Vader's many spies could not locate the boy. Vader chose to travel throughout the galaxy, setting hundreds of traps on planets Skywalker might visit. One of these worlds was Dantooine. Dantooine was once home to a Rebel base, and, centuries before, the Jedi Enclave.

Also on Dantooine, Vader was surprised by an ancient trap in the Jedi ruins. The trap killed his escort of stormtroopers, but Vader survived with only a small wound. Vader chose to investigate further, but the discovery of a Rebel outpost by one of the Devastator's scout ships forced him to change his plans. He departed the ruins, leaving only his shed blood behind.

Revision of methods

Vader decided to adopt a hands-off approach to capturing Skywalker. He was sure that the Force would lead Skywalker to his destiny eventually. Moreover, the man he had charged with hunting Rebels, Captain Bzorn, had been killed over Kessel. Vader began to take care of Rebel bases himself, such as the outpost discovered earlier. Vader ordered the Emperor's Hand Blackhole to infiltrate the Rebel headquarters to learn the latest of the Alliance's plans.

When the Sith Lord received word of a new Alliance base operating near the Panna system, he decided to utilize Boba Fett to locate the base. Fett befriended Luke Skywalker on Panna, and nearly got the location of the new Rebel base out of him, but he was forced to retreat, and failed even to capture the young Jedi.

While in battle with an Alliance space fleet, Vader learned from Blackhole that the Alliance's new plan was to fail in all direct confrontations with the Empire, while their main efforts would be in gathering new allies, such as the pirates Griff had spotted near Yavin, to the Rebel cause. Vader instructed Blackhole to capture those Rebels. Blackhole attempted to kidnap Luke and Leia on Vorzyd V, but he and his stormtroopers failed.

Phelarion

Still later, while investigating the disappearance of valuable megonite near Phelarion, Devastator's scouts encountered a Rebel shuttle, which they shot down over Phelarion, home to an Imperial labor camp run by Lady Tarkin, the widow of Grand Moff Tarkin. Vader's men managed to back track a message sent from the planet's surface, and pinpointed the location of the Rebel from the shuttle. Darth Vader crashed the Thirteenth Imperial Diplomatic Conclave being held at Port Tarkin, where he found that the Rebel was none other than Leia Organa herself. Vader's stormtroopers trapped her on a landing pad, but she was rescued by the Millennium Falcon. Vader held Lady Tarkin personally responsible for Leia's escape and the missing megonite.

Deception and ambush

Having failed to capture Rebels at Phelarion, Vader prepared a trap for the Alliance. Upon hearing that a school on Harix had been using illegal material for its curriculum, Vader ordered that the teacher and her students be captured. He also, albeit reluctantly, entrusted the GektlMajorStafuv Rahz with the operation, although he made clear that if the operation is a failure and Rahz is rescued, that will be the last rescue Rahz will ever expect. He transmitted his plan to execute them galaxywide, hoping to draw out the Rebels. Skywalker himself led the mission to rescue the children, and beyond all odds, he succeeded. The Star Destroyers waiting at Harix were tricked by a faux fleet, while the real Rebel rescue force whisked the teacher and the students away.[225]

Before the Harix incident, Vader had chosen to allow others to deal with Skywalker. On Harix, as on Panna, Tol Ardo and Vorzyd, Skywalker had continually foiled his plans to deal with the Rebellion at large, while eluding capture from even the most skilled of operatives. Vader now decided that it was time to give his personal attention to Luke Skywalker.

Soon after, Vader learned from one of his spies, Mag Doum, that six flights of Rebel X-wings were planetside for re-work on Arda-2. Following up this new lead, Vader discovered that Skywalker was among the pilots. When the Devastator arrived, its TIE fighters were attacked by a mere six snubfighters. Before the battle could truly begin, two ships rammed Devastator in a suicide run, leaving the Star Destroyer vulnerable. Vader chose to retreat, promising that he would find Luke Skywalker another day.[226]

In addition to trying to find Skywalker, he also had to deal with a defecting spy, codenamed Mole, who went into hiding. He contracted Boba Fett to locate and kill him. However, Fett failed his assignment due to the efforts of Skywalker, Chewbacca, and Solo.[227]

Vader also developed a new synthetic gas known as pacifog, which was to be used to enhance various lesser abilities. However, there was a costly side-effect to the gas: Contact with human flesh would dissolve it. In order to filter out these effects, Vader intended acquire a significant amount of Kunda stones, tasking Lord Councilor of Kadril Lon Prador to find them. He eventually tracked down the highest concentration on hills with anti-technology natives on them. Vader eventually captured Chewbacca and Organa after disrupting the funeral of Mdel. He ordered for Leia to be unharmed, but inferred that they kill Chewbacca. However, the gas only resulted in Chewbacca becoming angry instead of dissolving him, and the filters ended up destroyed by the Vibro-Crystal. After the Rebels used the Vibr-Crystal to eliminate the Kunda Stones in the vicinity, Vader and the other Imperials were forced to retreat.[228]

Preparations for the Executor

Eventually, Darth Vader tracked down what appeared to be the Millennium Falcon near a ringed planet. He then orders his wingmates and the rest of the Imperial fleet to stay back, making clear he intends to deal with the vessel personally. He then engaged it and maintained his order for his wingmates to stand back, even when the vessel managed to lure itself and Vader between the crushing blows of the gravitational pull between the planet itself and the planetary rings. Despite the gravitational pull being strong enough to interfere with his targeting computer, Vader managed to destroy the vessel via his use of the Force. However, when destroying the vessel, he then learned the "Millennium Falcon" was actually a decoy: a drone only modeled in the likeness of the Millennium Falcon, and reported it to his wingmates when they praised him, as well as revealed that the drone eluded an entire fleet, before deciding to check up on the development of the Executor.[220]

Once the tests for the Executor was completed, Vader moved on to Jovan Station, headquarters of the Imperial blockade. He informed the admirals gathered there that he had decided the course that would be taken against the Rebels, and that the Fondor project would go through. He also staged a confrontation between himself and Admiral Griff, hoping to draw out those who would act against him.[220]

Griff convinced the admirals to allow for a Rebel spy to infiltrate the construction yards of Fondor to sabotage Vader's project.[220]

Vader returned to Fondor, where he was informed by Admiral Griff that the Rebel spy had arrived. Griff escalated the plans of the traitorous Admirals, arranging for them to meet with the Rebel spy in the tunnels below Fondor's surface. The Admirals were unwilling to risk more involvement with the spy with Vader present, but Griff told them that Vader was leaving temporarily. In fact, Vader slipped off Devastator before its departure, and joined Griff in the tunnels to trap the traitors.[220]

But as Vader prepared to strike, he sensed something unexpected—the Rebel spy was Force-sensitive. Not only that, but Vader could clearly sense that this boy was a disciple of Kenobi. Incidents since the Death Star's destruction had caused Vader to suspect that there was such a man serving the Rebels—the mind-touch near Ultaar, the flash of pain at the Wheel, and certain comments made by Valance on Centares—but now he was sure of it. He was getting closer to discovering the pilot's identity.[220]

But the Rebel could sense Vader as well. He warned the Admirals, who scattered. Vader was unconcerned, however. He ordered Griff to forget the traitors and find the spy, but it was too late. The Rebel succeeded in escaping the system.[220]

While Vader failed to capture the Rebel, Griff's men managed to round up the traitorous Imperials. And although the spy could have gained valuable information on the systems of Executor, what Vader learned was far more valuable. He had been unprepared for the Rebel's interference, but no more. The pilot may have been a student of Kenobi's, but Vader was sure that his own power was stronger.[220]

Admiral Griff soon departed Fondor to return to his duties as system blockade commander, while Vader stayed behind to oversee the Fondor project.

Before long, Griff contacted Vader, informing him that the Rebels were gathering allies, such as the Freeholderspirates, to their base at Yavin. The Admiral deemed the Interdictors ineffective; the pirate fleet had managed to slip past their blockade. Griff pleaded with Vader to launch a full scale attack, but Vader wouldn't hear of it. He would not authorize an attack on the Rebel base until Executor was ready, and certain other events put in motion.

Hired bait

Vader eventually managed to track down Skywalker. Tiring of chasing Skywalker from planet to planet, Vader had already set a plan in motion that would be sure to lure the boy into his grasp. The Sith Lord hired a skilled actor, and had Imperial surgeons alter his appearance to become the spitting image of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Lord Vader himself trained the doppelgänger to imitate his old master, and cutting-edge technology allowed the impersonator to appear to call upon the Force.[229]

Vader communicating with the imposter.

The actor traveled to Aridus, where he drew the attention of Luke Skywalker, who soon came to Aridus in search of his trainer. The actor succeeded in fooling the young Jedi, and under Vader's orders, lured Skywalker to the Iron Tower. Vader was already waiting inside the tower when the actor and the youth arrived. But the scheme failed; the Sith Lord never even saw his son at Aridus. The old actor had become so enamored with the role of a Jedi Master that he activated an overload spiral in the upper levels of the Iron Tower, a move designed to kill Vader and save Luke. Skywalker escaped once again, and the actor was killed in the explosion. Vader survived, but he was seriously injured in the explosion. The last thing he saw before passing out was Skywalker fleeing the planet in his ship.[229]

Bargain and recovery

When Vader awoke, he found himself in a ship headed for Coruscant. The pilot was Wrenga Jixton, a former Imperial agent who had been involved with Vader's experiments on Falleen years before. Jixton had been sentenced to Kessel after the Falleen debacle, but he had escaped to Aridus, where he had befriended the natives. Jixton struck a deal with the Sith Lord: if the Empire would leave Aridus alone, Jixton would serve Vader.

The Sith Lord spent the next several months recovering on Coruscant. He received word from an informant that Lexhannen Torlock, governor of Corulag, was planning to defect to the Rebel Alliance. Vader sent his new agent Jixton to assassinate the traitorous governor, and to implicate the Alliance in the deed. Jixton uncovered the true traitor on Corulag: Admiral Droon, who had forced Torlock to leave the planet. Jixton dragged Droon back to Coruscant, where the admiral was dispatched by Vader's lightsaber.

Xizor

After leaving Coruscant once more, Vader had to contend with the machinations of Prince Xizor. Although the Sith Lord had eliminated Baron Tagge and the hubris admirals of the fleet, Xizor retained the Emperor's favor, and Vader could not attack him directly. In a conference on Coruscant (which Vader attended via hologram from the Devastator), the Dark Prince proposed a scheme that would shatter the powerful Bounty Hunters' Guild, leaving only the strongest bounty hunters for the Empire to use against the Rebellion. Vader strongly opposed this plan, but Palpatine gave his blessing. The Emperor also assigned Mara Jade to the task of monitoring Vader.

Completion of the Executor

"I am going to destroy their base at Yavin.... and nothing they have can stop me!"

At Fondor, the Executor was finally completed, and ready for a shakedown cruise. Darth Vader ordered that the ship be taken to the nearest Rebel installation—a depot on Laakteen, where Vader officially christened his new ship by obliterating the depot.[230]

Now Vader's long wait had paid off, and the Executor traveled to Yavin to smash the Rebel command, eliminating several small Alliance strike forces on the way. Finally the Rebels seemed to have given up all hope of stopping Executor, but Vader knew better. Sure enough, one last ship, a tiny attack craft, assaulted his Star Dreadnought just outside of the Yavin system.[231]

And this was no ordinary ship. The craft carried a power gem, a rare mineral formation that could shatter any energy shield. Vader also sensed that someone on board the tiny ship was sensitive to the Force. He suspected that Luke Skywalker, hero of the Death Star battle, had been sent to stop Executor. The Imperial battle plan did not account for detours, but Vader was determined to capture Skywalker who had evaded him enough times already, and so the massive ship swung around to pursue the Rebel ship. Vader soon sensed through the Force that, somehow, Skywalker had left the smaller vessel. As the Rebel ship turned around to attack the Executor head on, all shielding on the Star Dreadnought was transferred forward, smashing the small craft and negating the effects of the power gem.[231]

But the Executor was then attacked from behind by Skywalker on board the Millennium Falcon. With no aft shields in place, the Rebel was able to damage Executor's gyro-control systems. With the gyro systems disabled, the mammoth Star Dreadnought was unable to maneuver, and Vader was forced to turn command of the Imperial assault over to blockade commander Admiral Griff while repairs were carried.[231]

Vader and the captured Dodonna

Thanks to Griff's incompetence, Luke Skywalker, the Millennium Falcon, and the Rebel fleet managed to flee the Yavin system, but Darth Vader chose not to pursue. He had learned that General Jan Dodonna, the Rebel leader who had masterminded the attack on the Death Star, had remained behind at the Rebel base, and was leading a group of stranded Rebels against Imperial forces. Vader decided to take revenge for the Death Star's destruction by capturing Dodonna, a traitor to the Empire, and led a squad of stormtroopers against the Rebels. Vader and his troops took out the anti-air turrets protecting the main Rebel base. This allowed a flight of Griff's TIE bombers to attack the Massassi base directly. But Dodonna had rigged the main base and the surrounding temples with explosives, which he used to wipe out the Imperial ships.[232]

Dodonna's body was recovered from the wreckage by Vader's search teams. A quick mind probe revealed a Rebel operation geared against the planet Reytha, but gave no useful information on the whereabouts of the Rebel fleet.[232]

Griff's final failure

With the general captured, Vader waited for Executor to be repaired, allowing Griff to continue directing the Imperial pursuit of the Rebel fleet, even after an attack by the Mon Calamari on the blockade. Vader's inaction was a clever plot to capture both the fleet and Skywalker. If Griff threatened the Rebels, Skywalker would use the Force to aid them. Vader waited in his meditation pod, searching for any disturbance in the Force. When at last Skywalker opened himself to the Force, Vader was able to locate him, and brought the fleet under the guns of the Executor.

Vader underestimated the ambitious Admiral Griff, however. In a last-ditch attempt to corner the Rebels before Vader, Griff attempted a blind hyperspace jump, smashing his own Star Destroyer and two others into the Executor's shields. This allowed the Rebels and Skywalker to escape, bound for parts unknown. Once again, Vader was thwarted, but he knew that his inevitable encounter with Skywalker was only delayed.

Shortly afterwards, Vader was dispatched to Reytha after Rebels took over the planet. Vader managed to quell the Rebellion with some difficulty, resulting in his execution of the governor Antes Belladar, although their presence had been a ruse to ensure the Imperial Navy couldn't pursue the Rebels after they escaped Yavin.

Dealing with Kell Bircher

Afterwards, Vader ended up being relieved of his status as commander of the primary Imperial fleet, and was reissued to overseeing the construction of the second Death Star over Endor. The reason for this was largely because of his failure to prevent the destruction of the first Death Star at the Battle of Yavin. During this time, he also ended up constantly berated and insulted by the Emperor himself, while his replacement, Colonel Kell Bircher, frequently mocked him from light years away.[233] In addition, his command over the Devastator was confiscated as a result.

During his assignment at constructing the Death Star II, Vader encountered one of the officers operating in the area, Birra Seah, after he had executed an Admiral for questioning the realism of the Emperor's request, after she pointed out the Emperor could not know the inner workings and day to day difficulties the workers were undergoing. Impressed with her boldness and especially her force potential, he closed the meeting and invited her to a private conversation,[234] and granted her request for temporary moffship, although he warned her that she should please the emperor as otherwise she'll suffer a fate that not even he or the force can shield her from.[235] Vader eventually ended up called away, although he managed to telepathically contact Seah before she committed suicide, citing he still had some use for her.[236] He then had her placed on the Devastator as a lieutenant to keep eye on his replacement, Bircher.[237] He eventually learned that one of the rebels infiltrating the Devastator was Skywalker, and then ordered her to try and capture him.[238] However, his escape made this difficult, as well as her blowing her cover.[239] This eventually resulted in Vader executing her.[240] He also covertly left an admiral in charge with the Executor, even supplying the codes for accessing the Executor before he departed, also warning him to forget the conversation.[241]

Having deduced that his replacement, Bircher, was in fact a Rebel spy, he hired a graduate onboard the Executor, Nanda, promoted to being a commander of a six-man squad of Stormtroopers, and ordered her to go to a data center on Coruscant, where he personally dealt with a deck officer. He then ordered her to ambush the Archer near Bothawui, where he executed the Bothans suspected to be responsible for Bircher's placing among the Devastator. He then travelled to Kuat, specifically the Devastator, and executed the high command on the vessel for falling for Bircher.[242] Immediately afterwards, he went over to the Graveyard, the remains of Alderaan, and proceeded to go to the Audacity and had his Stormtroopers capture Tag Rogaren via a kill-or-capture order on the milnet. However, his Stormtroopers planned to return him alive to Imperial Center for questioning. Vader then took out the treacherous squad and proceeded to torture Rogaren. He then realized that Bircher had a slight Chandrillan accent, and decided to stop off at his estate. He then learned that Bircher was actually a relative of Mon Mothma, and had the estate destroyed and relieved Nanda of her duty.[243]

Vader's forces were later dispatched to bombard Arrochar to wipe out the Rebels. Vader himself, however, could not bear witness to the attack as Emperor Palpatine had placed him under house arrest for his earlier actions in hunting down the Rebels, as he viewed them as mere nuisances.[244]

Culling the military

Vader, now aboard Admiral Quist's Star Destroyer Conqueror, began monitoring reports from the abandoned Rebel base. When the Falcon returned to Yavin with Skywalker aboard, the incompetent Quist failed to capture her, and soon joined the ranks of late Imperial commanders. Not long after, while revisiting the abandoned base on Dantooine, Luke fell into the trap Vader had set there. Using his agents, the Fairfolk, Vader tempted Luke into using the dark side, and even projected a mental image of himself to Dantooine for Luke to battle. Skywalker was saved when R2-D2 broke the trance, but Vader promised that next time Luke wouldn't be so lucky.

Vader then set about punishing Imperial officials, and locking down on Rebel attempts to gain food and supplies. He followed up on the information stripped from Dodonna's mind and led an Imperial effort to retake Reytha from the Rebellion. He killed Moff Antes Belladar for allowing the Rebels to thrive on the planet and drove the Alliance from Reytha. Vader also executed Overlord Ghorin for dealing with the Alliance, and visited Kiva to put pressure on Borborygmus Gog to complete Project Starscream.

Search for information

Hoping to uncover more information on the whereabouts of the Rebel fleet, Vader visited Void Station, and demanded that Jib Kopatha gain information on Alliance activities. Afterward, Vader was set upon by Falleen assassins seeking vengeance for the devastation Vader had brought upon their world. After defeating them, Vader returned to Coruscant, where he monitored possible Rebel activity in the Shelsha sector and searched the Emperor's databases for more information about Luke Skywalker. There, he again crossed paths with Mara Jade.

Not long after, Vader blockaded the Kashyyyk system in an attempt to capture a Rebel group that included Skywalker and Organa, but they somehow managed to slip in and out of the system while evading capture.

Sometime after that, Vader met the survivor of the Great Jedi Purge, Echuu Shen-Jon, thought to be dead but merely in self-imposed exile following his use of the dark side to defeat Separatist General Sev'rance Tann during the early days of the Clone Wars. Shen-Jon was defending Princess Leia while she was escaping to her ship on Geddes. Echuu was also carrying the Vor'Na'Tu, an ancient Jedi artifact. Vader killed him, but Leia managed to escape and Shen-Jon broke the Vor'Na'Tu into pieces.

Mimban

When Governor Bin Essada learned that Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia were on Mimban in 2 ABY searching for a powerful Force relic known as the Kaiburr crystal, he contacted the Dark Lord. Vader traveled to the jungle world hoping both to capture Skywalker and get hold of the powerful crystal. He tracked the Rebels to the abandoned Temple of Pomojema deep in one of Mimban's jungles. Luke, Leia and Halla, a Force-sensitive local Human with whom they had undertaken the search for the crystal, had left C-3PO and R2-D2 outside the temple while they went in to look for the crystal.[245]

Vader coldly deactivated the droid he had created and the droid that had been his faithful companion in the Clone Wars, apparently without even recognizing them. He then entered the temple to face Skywalker and the Princess. Vader immobilized Luke by dropping a ceiling stone at him with the Force, but the Kaiburr crystal's proximity had intensified the Sith Lord's anger, and he was surprised at being overcome with the desire to kill the two rebels.[223] Leia briefly dueled with Vader using Luke's lightsaber, but the Dark Lord quickly subdued her and slashed her body repeatedly with his blade as a form of torture. When Luke emerged from under the stone, Leia threw him his lightsaber, and father and son crossed sabers for the first time. In his uncontrolled rage, Vader attempted to kill his son with Kinetite[246] but Luke's actions were guided by Obi-Wan Kenobi.[62] This guidance coupled with the fact that Luke was in possession of the crystal, were enough to deflect the Kinetite and slice Vader's arm off. However, this act drained Kenobi's spirit to the point that he could no longer aid Luke, and Vader simply shrugged off the injury. As he advanced on the two siblings, he caught sight of the lightsaber Luke was holding, which looked just like his own old one, but toppled into a deep sacrificial well, allowing the Rebels to escape. Vader was unconscious for over an hour at the bottom of the pit, but the battle made him realize that Luke could help him overthrow the Emperor.[223]

Request denied

Vader was also dispatched to quell Rebellion in the Zaloriis system, where the governor boldly approached Vader and declared independence. Vader Force-choked him to death, callously stating, "Request denied, governor." Vader then proceeded to lead Imperial forces to destroy the ill-fated independence movement. He also rescued then-Colonel Maximilian Veers from imprisonment. Veers then put his knowledge to work and deployed the next generation of AT-AT walkers, which would be used to great effect in the Battle of Hoth. It was on Zaloriis that Vader learned of possible Rebel contacts on Elrood.

Hoth and aftermath

Admiral Ozzel: "Lord Vader, the fleet has moved out of light speed and we are preparing to.... *gasps, begins to choke*"

Now that the Alliance had escaped Yavin 4, Vader dispatched probe droids to remote regions of the galaxy to locate the location of its new base. One such probe eventually detected Echo Base on Hoth. AdmiralKendal Ozzel incurred Vader's wrath and his death sentence when he ruined Death Squadron's stealth attack by exiting hyperspace too close to the planet, allowing the Rebels to detect the attack and project shields against planetary bombardment. Vader was forced to wage a terrestrial campaign; its deployment giving some of the Rebel forces time to flee. Vader himself entered Echo Base to locate Luke Skywalker. He eventually located Han Solo and Leia Organa, although a combination of rebel troopers fighting him and his stormtroopers as well as a cave-in delayed him in getting to them.[247] He eventually reached a hangar just in time to see the Millennium Falcon escape. When the Falcon's hyperdrive failed, Vader ordered pursuit and followed the Falcon and her apparently unstable pilot into an equally unstable asteroid field. He would not allow that ship to escape him again. Renegade Squadron was tasked to stall Vader in a series of assaults, leading to a skirmish in orbit.[248]

While his fighters searched the asteroids for the Falcon, Vader, temporarily abandoning the search upon being commanded by Palpatine (via Piett) to make contact with him, received a new mission from the Emperor—to capture Luke Skywalker, his own son and the pilot who had destroyed the Death Star. As far as Vader knew, Sidious was ignorant to Vader's realization that Luke was his son, and his plot's progression, to do just that. To deceive the Emperor, and thus allow him to continue making motions toward his own plan, Vader suggested that Luke could be turned to the dark side of the Force. The Emperor agreed, noting that Luke would be a "great asset."[248] Meanwhile, as was the pattern with Sith Lords, Sidious also began planning to eliminate Vader in order to take Luke as his apprentice.

Vader continued pursuing the Falcon, and resorted to hiring bounty hunters to complete the task. Ultimately, the Falcon appeared and then quickly disappeared by hiding in a blind spot on the back of the bridge tower of CaptainLorth Needa's Star DestroyerAvenger. Captain Needa paid for losing the vehicle with his life. Death Squadron dispersed into hyperspace, each ship dumping its garbage before jumping. The Falcon, released from its perch, floated away amid the debris and then set a sub-light course to Bespin. Boba Fett, one of the bounty hunters hired by Vader, deduced Solo's strategy, alerted Vader to his destination, and followed the Falcon to Cloud City, a mining colony located on the gas giant.[248]

Among the bounty hunters summoned by Vader to hunt the Millennium Falcon was Awarru Tark, a ruthless hunter with a "reputation for results". Tark, however, was late for the bounty hunter meeting on the Executor, instead meeting with Vader aboard the Avenger afterwards. Unimpressed with Tark's politeness upon arrival, which he termed "posturing", Vader demanded that they commence with their business. Tark agreed, and blocked the entrance to the observation suite where they met with a handful of small detonators.[249]

Brandishing two forearm-mounted energy blades, Tark attacked. Vader managed to hold off the mercenary's opening attacks with his lightsaber, but Tark over-leaped the Sith Lord in a blink, scoring hits on Vader's back. Vader whirled to parry, blocking the follow up attacks, but opening himself up for a lightning fast kick to the head. Thrown against the wall, Vader narrowly avoided Tarks next volley, only suffering a hit to the head, which was absorbed by his helmet. In desperation, Vader Force pushed Tark against the ceiling of the chamber, telekinetically pinning him. Tark responded by dropping another series of detonators on Vader, breaking the Sith Lord's concentration and allowing Tark to leap down and attack again.[249]

Vader dropped his lightsaber and seized Tark by the wrists, bending the blades back towards the mercenary's own head. Tark suddenly revealed his secret weapon; a massive cybernetic augmentation. Tark's torso and hands split open, revealing a flurry of claw-tipped mechanical tendrils that began chewing their way through Vader's armor. As Vader began to succumb, he telepathically reached into Tark's mind, learning of his identity and history as the soldier Stauz Czycz. The Sith Lord learned of Czycz's loss of his home and family to the Empire, how he now held Vader responsible, and how he devoted himself utterly towards revenge. Czycz fury drove Vader from the soldier-turned-mercenary's mind, leaving them both temporarily paralyzed. Vader recovered first, reclaiming his lightsaber and decapitating Czycz.[249]

Vader's wounds from the battle consisted of little more than superficial damage to his armor, which was easily repaired. However, Vader's encounter with Czycz left the Sith Lord somewhat shaken, as he began reflecting on the similarities between himself and the mercenary, and how he too had sacrificed his humanity in the name of revenge. While recovering from the deadly encounter, Vader received a message from Bespin.[249]

Conflict on Bespin and aftermath

"Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father.""He told me enough! He told me you killed him.""No. I am your father."

Vader landed on Cloud City and threatened its Baron Administrator, Lando Calrissian, a friend of Han's, into an agreement while waiting for the Falcon's arrival. When the Falcon arrived, Vader captured, with Calrissian's cooperation, and tortured Solo. In addition, shortly beforehand, upon seeing the remains of C-3PO after Gamma Squad blasted him, the pain of his reminders of his past self drove him to order them to recycle the droid parts, although his parts were ultimately intercepted by Chewbacca, having witnessed C-3PO's destruction earlier. Vader eventually had a change of heart and allowed Chewbacca, while imprisoned, to repair C-3PO. Luke, training under Yoda on Dagobah, after seeing a vision of his friend's torture, rushed to Cloud City to save his friends, despite the sternest warnings from both Yoda and the dead Kenobi that by doing so, he would risk falling to the dark side. Meanwhile, Vader froze Solo in carbonite as a test subject to see if the method would be viable for the younger Skywalker, much to the chagrin of Boba Fett, who was already seeking Solo for Jabba the Hutt. Luke arrived at Cloud City, just in time to take the bait of the trap set for him by his father.[248]

When Luke found Vader, they fought, the boy not knowing his opponent's true identity. Despite Luke's minimal training, he was able to hold his own for much of the duel, without Kenobi's help as had happened on Mimban the previous year, much to Vader's surprise. Ultimately, however, as Yoda and Kenobi had warned, the inadequately trained Luke was no match for the powerful and experienced Vader, who ultimately defeated him, and hacked off his right hand. It was now time for the Sith Lord to close the lid of this trap.[248]

Vader imploring his son to join him.

Vader proceeded to beckon Luke to join him in the Dark Side. When Luke vehemently refused, Vader deduced that Kenobi had hid from Luke the truth about what happened to Luke's father, Anakin Skywalker, before revealing that Anakin and Vader were the same entity. Vader asked Luke to join him so that they could destroy the Emperor and rule the galaxy as father and son, harkening back to what he'd hoped to have with Luke's mother—companionship. He never wanted to rule the galaxy alone. Profoundly shaken by the news that he was Vader's son, Luke refused to join his father and plunged into the gas vents of Cloud City. Luke was able to survive long enough to be rescued by Leia and Lando in the Millennium Falcon. Vader, who had insured that the hyperdrive motivator on the Falcon would malfunction, gave orders to the new Admiral, Piett, to capture the freighter. During the pursuit, Vader also telepathically communicated with Luke, in an attempt to get Luke to join the Dark Side, assuring him it was his son's destiny. However, they didn't count on R2-D2, Vader's one-time friend and gift to him from his late wife, would reverse the sabotage, allowing the Falcon to jump into hyperspace. While Vader had previously killed two of his subordinates, he let Admiral Piett live even though he failed to capture Luke in the Millennium Falcon.[248] In addition, despite his failure in recruiting Luke, he nonetheless succeeded in retrieving Luke's severed hand from Smelting Core D, alongside Luke's and Vader's former lightsaber. He then had the hand and saber sent to the Mount Tantiss storehouse on Wayland under direct orders from the Emperor, although Vader personally had different plans for the saber and hand.

Afterwards, Vader continued tracking for signs of the Rebellion and, more importantly, Luke Skywalker. He was then chastised for his failure at Bespin, although he informed the Emperor that—while he may not have captured Luke—he nonetheless managed to "plant the seeds of ambition" within Luke's mind. He also reminded his master that converting Luke to the Dark Side was his idea when the latter implied suspicions that Vader did not desire to turn Luke. Vader also informed Palpatine that he received a lead on the Rebel's location and was planning to intercept. Palpatine informed him that it would have to wait, as he needed Vader to complete shipping arrangements. In actuality, the shipping arrangements were a fools errand concocted by Palpatine to distract Vader while he had Luke assassinated.[250]

In the following months, Lord Vader found himself in a complex game of strategy against the scheming crime lord of Black Sun, Prince Xizor. The Falleen, who had long hated Vader due to the planetary bombardment ordered by the Dark Lord on his homeworld of Falleen, was attempting to discredit Vader in eyes of the Emperor. Xizor had long been a rival of the Dark Lord. He sought to foil Vader's plan to capture Luke Skywalker for the Emperor by having Luke assassinated before Vader could find the Jedi. Vader discovered Xizor's plot and killed him in an assault high over the Imperial Center.[251]

He later uncovered a Rebel-owned station and, alongside then-Admiral Thrawn to take it out. He also learned from the Secret Order of evidence that implicated Admiral Harkov of running a black market operation during the Sepan Civil War. Afterwards, he attended a demonstration of the TIE Avengers held by Grand Admiral Zaarin, with Vader promptly reporting its progress to Palpatine. After Harkov was exposed as turning to the Rebel Alliance, Vader proceeded to personally execute him for his treachery. He then ordered six TIE Defender prototypes from Zaarin for Palpatine to inspect before being mass-produced. Vader also spent his time tracking down Harkov's forces before bringing them to justice. He eventually had to deal with another traitor, this time Zaarin, who instigated a coup against the Emperor and successfully abducted him. He arrived at Coruscant aboard the Osprey, and alongside Maarek Stele managed to rescue the Emperor. Vader then, at Palpatine's orders, presented Stele with the Emperor's Will medal at a special presentation. After ensuring the Rebels did not uncover any of the Empire's true plans at Endor, Vader reported that everything was in place to Palpatine.

In 4 ABY, Vader was sent to the incomplete Death Star II to await the Emperor, who was coming for an inspection tour. He also warned the person in charge of completing the Death Star II's systems on schedule, MoffTiaan Jerjerrod, that if he is unable to complete it on schedule by doubling his efforts, he will end up facing Palpatine for the failure upon his arrival, implying that the Emperor was "not as forgiving as [Vader was]" regarding failure. After Darth Sidious's arrival, Vader was sent to command the Imperial Fleet guarding the Death Star, keeping it on the far side of Endor. Vader also supplied the Emperor with reports of a Rebel massing near Sullust, although Palpatine dismissed the reports. It was here that he sensed the arrival of his son along with the Rebel strike team coming to destroy the shield generator that protected the Death Star. When he informed the Emperor of this, although he expressed surprise that Vader could sense Luke while Sidious himself could not, Sidious nonetheless advised him to go to Endor and await Luke.[4]

During his departure to Endor, it is said that he looked back on his life and had the first dream he had in many years.
This was following visions that he thought were premonitions of the near future.[252]

Arriving on the eve of Luke's capture, Vader once again attempted to persuade Luke to join the dark side, but this time Vader's interests were tinged by a desire to protect his son. Vader, however, still maintained his belief that he was beyond redemption, and remorsefully told Luke as much, causing Luke to state that "[Anakin] truly was dead." When this failed, Vader took him to Darth Sidious himself on the incomplete Death Star II. Vader also discovered Jedi Master Yoda's death when Palpatine mind-probed Luke upon arrival, although he did not display any emotion on the matter.[253] Luke reluctantly fought a lightsaber battle with Vader, matching Vader's mastery of Form V with his own display of Form V blade work, all the while attempting to persuade his father into renouncing the dark side of the Force. In allowing this to happen, Luke Skywalker risked everything in order to assure the victory of the Rebel Alliance and the redemption of his father to the light.[4]

Vader is defeated by his son.

Vader: "You cannot hide forever, Luke."

Luke: "I will not fight you!"

Vader: "Give yourself to the dark side. It is the only way you can save your friends. Yes...your thoughts betray you. Your feelings for them are strong, especially for...sister. So, you have a twin sister! Your feelings have now betrayed her, too. Obi-Wan was wise to hide her from me. Now, his failure is complete! If you will not turn to the dark side, then perhaps she will."

During this time, Sidious relentlessly attempted to lure Luke to the dark side, tormenting him with thoughts of the defeat of the Rebel Alliance and the death of his friends. However, Luke continued to attempt to restrain himself from fighting his father. Vader, who had been probing Luke's thoughts, discovered that besides Luke he also had a daughter: Leia Organa, Luke's twin sister. Vader, happy at this new information he had acquired— and thus, the final failure of Obi-Wan, decided to use this knowledge against Luke, threatening to corrupt Leia. Luke, enraged, ignited his lightsaber and viciously attacked Vader with anger and hatred. Finally, Luke sliced off Vader's mechanical right hand, defeating the Dark Lord. Sidious, cackling with triumph, urged Luke to fulfill his destiny, and take his father's place at the Dark Lord's side.[4] Vader then realized that Sidious had betrayed him again, just as Darth Tyranus had been betrayed twenty-three years before, and just as he had been betrayed by Sidious for Galen Marek on the first Death Star.

Luke looked at his mechanical hand and his father's severed right hand, and realized that he was about to become Vader's successor. Horrified at what he was about to do, Luke used a combination of Kenobi's and Yoda's teachings and the light side of the Force to calm himself down. Luke tossed his lightsaber away, refusing the Emperor's offer to join him as his new apprentice. Instead, he declared himself a Jedi, like his father had been. Enraged at the failure of his plans, the Emperor unleashed a barrage of Force lightning attacks upon Luke.[4]

Skywalker's armor is damaged by Palpatine's lightning.

As Vader watched Sidious savagely torture Luke, his love for his son--one of the few parts of Anakin that was still left--finally bloomed in full after being reawakened four years earlier. It was enough to finally break the dark side's hold over him. From that moment on, Darth Vader was no more, and Anakin Skywalker was reborn.[4]

Refusing to watch his son die, Skywalker suddenly grabbed Sidious from behind and hoisted him from his feet. Even as Sidious' lightning tore through his body, Skywalker advanced towards the Death Star's reactor shaft with the struggling Emperor. Staggering to his destination, he threw Darth Sidious down the shaft to his death before collapsing. With his life support system shorted out, Anakin Skywalker had paid for his act of defiance with his life. Yet this single act brought him back to the light side and fulfilled his destiny as the Chosen One, bringing balance back to the Force.[4]

Luke dragged his father to the hangar where his shuttle lay, in hopes of saving his life. Anakin, knowing that he would die whether or not Luke managed to get him onto a ship, stopped his son.[4]

Skywalker in his final moments

Nearing death, Skywalker asked Luke to help him remove his mask, so that he could see his son with his own eyes, not through the lens filters of his mask. His last words behind the mask of Vader were especially telling —in response to Luke's protest that he would die without the mask, Skywalker responded, "Nothing can stop that now. Just for once, let me look on you with my own eyes." These words constituted a final rejection of the lying promises of the dark side, and a full embrace of the light once again. Luke helped disconnect the helmet and mask and saw his father's face for the first time. Beneath, Anakin was bald, his hair follicles having been incinerated in Mustafar's flames 23 years earlier. The wounds from Mustafar's heat had never actually healed. However, his eyes were no longer the burning crimson-rimmed amber of a Sith Lord, but the shining blue of his former self. Skywalker told Luke to leave him behind. Luke protested that he had intended to save his father and did not intend to leave him behind, before Skywalker told him that Luke already had saved him by redeeming him. Skywalker then told Luke that he was right about him, there was good still in him; and to tell his sister, Leia, the same. With these last words, Anakin Skywalker died and became one with the Force.[4]

Luke narrowly escaped the exploding Death Star in a shuttle along with his father's armor and artificial remains, and reached the forest moon of Endor where Darth Vader's armor was cremated in the manner of a Jedi, since Skywalker's body had passed into the light.[4][254] During the celebration, Luke saw a vision of a redeemed Anakin in the robes of a Jedi Master--whole, and without the artificial body of Vader. Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda were next to him. His destiny fulfilled, Anakin Skywalker had passed on into the embrace of the light side of the Force.[4]

When Vader re-embraced the light side of the Force, his organic body dematerialized and became one with the Force; Luke cremated only his father's armor with its prosthetics. Though Skywalker did not know about Qui-Gon Jinn's secret of joining the Force, and was surprised when Kenobi's body vanished right before he killed him, he was still able to retain his personality when joining the Force. Jinn had been outspoken in life about the Living Force, and taught Yoda on Dagobah that the secret to eternal life via the Force, was with love. Thus, according to Jinn, a Sith could never truly attain it. As he passed from life, Skywalker's love for his son consumed him completely, transforming him into a spirit like his Master had before him.

Anakin Skywalker's specter would continue to appear throughout the years. Shortly after the Battle of Endor, Skywalker visited his son once more. He pleaded for Luke to redeem and undo the damage that Vader had done to the young man known as Flint, as he was now unable to do it himself.

During the same period, Skywalker appeared before his daughter, Leia Organa, in Salis D'aar, the capital of Bakura. There, he begged his daughter to forgive him. However, Leia had only recently learned of her parentage and was unable to ignore that he had committed gross crimes, including the destruction of Alderaan and her own torture aboard the first Death Star, while serving Emperor Palpatine.[255] Skywalker agreed to leave his daughter be but vowed to be there when she needed him and soon disappeared. However, in 8 ABY, upon discovering her grandmother's diary, Leia realized that her father wasn't the evil monster that she thought he was and learned to forgive him. In 10.5 ABY, Leia Organa Solo named her youngest child Anakin in remembrance of her father's redemption.

Shortly afterward, in 5 ABY, when Qu Rahn was killed by Jerec, Rahn beheld the Force spirits of Anakin Skywalker and Halagad Ventor in his final moments and realized that there was not a single person who was incapable of redemption. Skywalker, along with Kenobi, would appear before his son again in order to warn him of the dark side prophet Kadann.

Revelations of the past

In 35 ABY, while Luke Skywalker was fixing R2-D2, the Jedi Master encountered a hologram of Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala in which Skywalker said to his wife that he had a dream of her, dying in childbirth.

A year later, Luke also viewed a hologram of Skywalker slaughtering Jedi in the Jedi Temple, yet another hologram recorded by the astromech droid. Not long after, during the Swarm War, the shocking revelation behind the death of Luke and Leia's mother, Padmé, was revealed when Luke witnessed his father Force-choking her in another hologram projected by R2-D2.

At some point after Luke had died, in 137 ABY Skywalker appeared in a Force vision to Cade Skywalker, one of his descendants. In that vision, he appeared as he had when he turned to the dark side, then turned into Darth Vader and dueled Cade. After defeating Cade, Vader took off his helmet, showing his burnt face, and warned Cade about the dangers of the dark side. Rather than giving a simple warning about the dark side, Skywalker warned his descendant that he had to control his power and his anger, lest it turn against him as Skywalker's did when dueling Obi-Wan Kenobi on Mustafar.

Legacy

"… A special destiny is not always something joyous, or easy to bear. My father had a special destiny, and see where it took him."

Anakin Skywalker, being the Chosen One of Jedi prophecy, left behind a great legacy. Since he married and started a family, Skywalker openly defied the Jedi Code to follow his heart. His love for his family turned out to be a double-edged sword: Darth Sidious, by preying upon the young Jedi's fear of losing his beloved wife, managed to seduce him over to the dark side. However, in the end, it was Skywalker's love for his son, Luke, which redeemed his soul. Even though Skywalker was the Chosen One, Luke served indirectly as the catalyst that allowed Skywalker to fulfill the Jedi prophecy, and slay Emperor Palpatine—an act which fractured the Galactic Empire. During Skywalker's tenure as Darth Vader, he helped Palpatine nearly eradicate the entire Jedi Order. However, this action, in turn, allowed the Jedi Order to be rebuilt by Anakin's son, Luke Skywalker.

Luke was able to take the little training he received from Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi and carry on the Jedi legacy. In the years following the Battle of Endor, Luke Skywalker established the New Jedi Order. In the following years, it would go on to be a major player in galactic affairs, and would serve the New Republic for many years to come. Skywalker's daughter, Leia Organa Solo, would go on to be a key figure in the Rebel Alliance, and ultimately serve as the Chief of State of the New Republic from 11 ABY–17 ABY. Leia named one of her sons with Han Solo Anakin Solo after her father. After 28 ABY, the Order served to help defend the New Republic and the Galactic Alliance during the Yuuzhan Vong War, and later the Swarm War and the Second Galactic Civil War.

However, after his death, the Empire refused to believe Vader murdered Palpatine. They claimed that Luke killed both Sith Lords, and Vader had died heroically defending his master. After Emperor Palpatine's resurrection, the details became clear, and the Imperials saw Vader as a symbol of ultimate treachery. On the rare occasion that his name was spoken by those loyal to the Emperor, "Darth Vader" was said with disgust. In Bast Castle on Vjun, a statue once stood of Vader,[256] which the reborn Palpatine ordered to be destroyed, indicative of Vader's reputation after his death. Prior to Palpatine's return, there was one source that indicated that Vader had killed Palpatine, the holofilm Luke Skywalker and the Jedi's Revenge, although he was killed via his son in that rendition to avenge the fallen Emperor. In this source, Vader and Anakin Skywalker were treated as separate individuals. However, Vader's name was still occasionally used by the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances, the Imperial Remnant, and even by some of the New Republic's New Jedi Order to symbolize power and to strike fear. Notably, the Empire of the Hand maintained the moniker "Vader's Fist" for its remaining 501st Stormtrooper Legion soldiers.[source?] Even Vader's grandchildren, on his daughter's side, sometimes invoked that legacy during the Yuuzhan Vong War.

While Darth Vader may have been redeemed, he still left a dark legacy in the form of Dark Lady Lumiya. Upon his death and the death of Palpatine, Lumiya assumed the title of Dark Lady of the Sith and eventually contacted Vader's grandson, Jacen Solo, in an effort to corrupt him to the dark side. Later, Jacen flow-walked back to the Raid on the Jedi Temple, witnessing the events that occurred fifty-nine years before, to see his grandfather's reasoning for becoming a Sith Lord. He came to the decision that Anakin's logic was faulty, and that his own reasons for joining the Sith were superior: while Skywalker did it out of love, Jacen was trying to save the galaxy from a great evil. Jacen later climbed to the status of Sith Lord himself, as Anakin had, taking on the name of Darth Caedus.

Little did Vader know, that on Tatooine, A'Sharad Hett had too survived the Purge and was banished from the planet by Kenobi after being defeated by Kenobi. Hett at first regretted that he kept the secret of Skywalker's Tusken slaughter, for that had caused many Jedi slaughters as well. But later in life, he had learned of Luke, Leia, and the rest of the family that was to appear. Hett traveled to Korriban, learned teachings from the ancient Sith holocrons of XoXaan, DarthsAndeddu, Nihilus, Bane, and others to follow, thus creating the Rule of One. A'Sharad Hett was gone and Darth Krayt was born, as Dark Lord of the new Sith Order.

In addition, his earlier refusal to embrace his original destiny as The Father's successor also led to disastrous consequences in the near future, culminating in the release of Abeloth due to a divergence in the timeline caused by Jacen Solo as well as the destruction of Centerpoint Station.

Vader's history would be studied by the Sith LordDarth Azard, who modeled his command style and philosophy's after Vader's, possibly taking inspiration from the late Sith. This included executing subordinates for failure.[257]

When Azlyn Rae was grievously injured during the Battle on Had Abbadon, Cade handed her over to Nat Skywalker and Droo Rawk, his uncle and aunt. Droo said she could only save Azlyn if she wanted to be saved, which Cade said she did. He tried to help them, but Nat refused to allow it since his healing powers kept pushing him toward the dark side. While Droo and Nat tried their best, Azlyn rejected their attempts to heal her. Nat refused to give up, and decided on a desperate measure: placing Azlyn in a life supporting suit for mortally wounded Kiffu guardians. Droo didn't like the idea, thinking it would make Azlyn the next Darth Vader, as the suit bore a similar disturbing point to Darth Vader's suit. Nat, however, said his ancestor was evil, and the suit had nothing to do with it. They went through with the plan.

Personality and traits

"For Anakin, there is nothing more important than friendship. He is the most loyal man I've ever met—loyal beyond reason; in fact […] abstractions like peace don't mean much to him. He's loyal to people, not to principles. And he expects loyalty in return. He will stop at nothing to save me, for example, because he thinks I would do the same for him… because he knows I would do the same for him."

Skywalker maintained a strong bond of friendship with his astromech droid, R2-D2.

As a young boy, Skywalker was thoughtful and intelligent. He was friendly and easily got along with others despite his status as a slave. He also had a special place in his heart for his mother, whom he constantly built inventions to sell or to use to lighten her workload. At the coming of the Jedi, he was both helpful and generous; doing all that he could to help them off-planet, risking his life at the podrace as well as giving them the sizable reward money which he and his mother would have had use for. Though lovable, he also was one to carry grudges and was vengeful, but he commonly held these two traits in check. He also hated being treated unjustly or being wrongly accused. He was fiercely loyal, doing anything to keep those he was close to from harm, at any cost. His only price for this dedication was loyalty in return.

His separation from his mother was the hardest thing he'd ever done, and it still hurt him for years. Because of his fear of losing even more friends in such a manner, he kept to himself, fiddling around with his only friends, the Temple droids. During this, however, he grew especially close to Kenobi, considering him a father and a role model. Due to his sudden escalation from slave to being known as the "Chosen One" and the rising star of the Jedi Order, pride and arrogance set in. He grew cocky, self-appreciating, and he grew to hate being reprimanded or lectured.

He was naturally honest and despised lying and deception, and especially hated politics, correctly considering most politicians to be greedy and self-conceited. Kenobi's continual self-consciousness when it came to Skywalker hurt the boy, who at times wasn't sure whether Kenobi liked him, something his heart craved. Therefore, he turned to a more complimenting, comforting source: Palpatine.

His yearning to be loved, as well as appreciated, came out in his devotion and secret marriage to Amidala, one of the only three people he ever thought appreciated or cared for him. As his fame grew, he became more and more arrogant, and he knew that he was one of the best Jedi of the Order, believing that he could easily best any Jedi blindfolded with his lightsaber tied behind his back. This coupled with his frustration at his perceived injustice at being kept at the rank of Jedi Knight made him more and more bitter and distrustful of the Jedi Council. His belief in them was shattered more and more as Skywalker's closest friend, Palpatine, swayed him from trusting them. Slowly, his bond with everyone except the Chancellor was completely shaken and broken, even that of his wife when he assumed her betrayal of him. Born out of this conflict was the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader.[10]

"I'm not the Emperor. I don't kill for amusement, only when it serves my purposes."

After becoming Vader, Skywalker's personality changed completely. He was now a rattled man, shaken by the perceived betrayal of his dearest friend, his former comrades-in-arms, and his wife. Upon donning the armor that kept him alive, Vader initially remained uncertain, but regained his self-confidence following his killing of Roan Shryne on Kashyyyk. He also gained a firm belief that love was a weakness and was utterly meaningless. This belief was especially prevalent during the Galactic Civil War, when Vader attempted to persuade the clone of Galen Marek not to hesitate in killing Juno Eclipse during a training session.[210] Vader had an extremely low tolerance of failure, and did not get on well at all with many of the higher-ups in the Imperial military, nearly choking Admiral Conan Antonio Motti to death when he challenged the power of the Force, though Admiral Motti survived due to the intervention of Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin. Both Admiral Kendal Ozzel and Captain Lorth Needa were not so fortunate, as Vader telekinetically strangled both men to death following blunders they had committed. For their part, many higher-ranking Imperial officials despised the Dark Lord and his "sorcerer's ways." He also retained his former identity's distaste for dishonesty and deception, having once gone into a massive rage that resulted in the destruction of a large part of the Jedi Council chamber upon learning that the Jedi Council, including Obi-Wan Kenobi, had hid the location of the Ghost Prison from him as well as Palpatine. However, he did develop a tendency to craft some falsehoods, or at the very least half-truths. This was especially evident when he told Lieutenant Tohm that he actually killed Anakin Skywalker, when he was in fact Anakin Skywalker (though he may have been speaking ironically).[51]

Because of his former identity's status as a slave, Vader also had distress when the concept of slavery is brought up, especially regarding the Empire continuing the slave trade. This distressed nature on the topic once had him, during a debriefing with Commander Vill of the 501st Legion regarding the Cleansing of New Plympto, abruptly ending the debriefing without a word and walking off to the balcony of his palace, apparently too distraught at the revelation of the Empire redirecting the 501st Legion to sell slaves to Orvax IV to fall asleep for the night, and still was troubled by the discovery the next morning.[170]

Despite his rather rocky relationship with higher-ranking officers in the military, Vader got along quite well with the clone troopers, once remarking, "I was rather fond of Commander Appo," following the latter's death at the hands of Roan Shryne. One reason Vader was popular with the troops that served under him was his willingness to fight in the front line, and not expect of anyone anything he was not willing to do himself. One officer who looked up to Vader because of this was Erv Lekauf, who often spoke highly of Vader to his grandson Jori Lekauf. Another military officer to be taken under Vader's wing was Firmus Piett, who succeeded Ozzel as Admiral of Death Squadron, and notably survived being under the Sith Lord's command having erred not once, but twice during his tenure under Vader. This was due to the fact that both of these failures were caused by unforeseeable factors, not errors in Piett's judgment. In addition, although he did execute officers when they failed him, he occasionally promoted military, such as 501st Legion officer Daine Jir, for traits he was personally impressed with. In Jir's case, it was his brutal honesty to Vader. Similarly, he also promoted Birra Seah to temporary moffship for the completion of the second Death Star when she backed up an admiral that Vader had killed's assessments that there were flaws in the design of the ship.[258] He also held some disgust towards individuals who were willing to betray their own worlds for power, even when such actions were to the benefit of the Galactic Empire. This was especially evident with his interactions with the Gecktl soldier Stafuv Rahz during the seizure of Harix, where he made no effort to hide his opinion of Rahz due to the latter's betrayal of the Gecktl to the Empire, and made it clear that should they have to rescue him, the rescue transport would lead to his death.

Despite his actions, Vader apparently believed he was doing what was good for the galaxy. He also appeared to have had a high sense of self-loathing as a result of his actions, so much so that he nearly committed suicide during his mission to Atoa.[181] His self-hate was strong enough to kill the doppelganger of Darth Maul.[214] He expressed the belief that the Empire was the only way the galaxy could attain peace, justifying his actions and those of the Empire as necessary to accomplish this.[source?] In addition, he also makes it clear to Dengar at one point that, while he did kill when he felt it needed to be done, he did not take amusement at it like his Master.[259] In addition, by the time of the Battle of Endor, he also strongly believed that he was irredeemable, which he relayed to his son with some remorse when capturing him at Endor, in response to his son's attempts to get Vader to free himself from the grip of Palpatine. Shortly after sacrificing himself to save Luke from the Emperor, he admitted that Luke was indeed right about his still having good in him.[4]

Skywalker's signature.

In the end of his life, Skywalker broke away from the dark side, becoming whole once again. Redeemed by his son's love, father and son made peace before Skywalker became one with the Force and was reunited with his loved ones.[4]

Relationships

Qui-Gon Jinn

Qui-Gon Jinn was the first Jedi that Skywalker had met. He deduced that Jinn was a Jedi Knight from a brief glance of Jinn's lightsaber while the latter was talking with Watto. He had a great degree of respect for the Jedi Master, having a lot of concern for him when he barely escaped from Darth Maul during an ambush. He also was not willing to disobey Jinn, at least in terms of the letter of the law. This was most evident during the Naboo Space Battle, when he, in response to R2-D2 asking whether he should return to Naboo, refused as Jinn had earlier told him to "stay in the cockpit" (even though Jinn meant to keep hidden). Jinn's death had devastated him, and also left him briefly wondering what he should do with his life.

Shmi Skywalker

Skywalker's life revolved mostly around two women—Shmi, his mother, and Amidala, his wife. Having a very close relationship with his mother, it broke his heart to leave her on Tatooine while he went to Coruscant to chase his dreams, and he admired her courage she showed throughout her harsh life as a slave, especially the moment he decided to leave Tatooine.[9] Her early death when he was just a young man shook him, and his slaughter of the Tusken Raiders brought him closer to the dark side. He vowed never to let anyone he loved be harmed again—namely Obi-Wan Kenobi, his master, and Amidala, who became his wife soon after.[11]

Her death continued to affect Skywalker even after his transformation into the Sith Lord, Darth Vader. His memories of her death gave him great discomfort when he ended up capturing Princess Leia over Tatooine.[162]

Obi-Wan Kenobi

When Skywalker first met his future mentor, he was the second Jedi that he had encountered but Kenobi, like the rest of the Jedi Council, didn't believe that Skywalker should be trained. Despite this, he was willing to defy the Council's decision to respect his dying master's last wish to train Skywalker as a Jedi.[9]

The first stage of their relationship was similar to that between a father and a son and Kenobi was, along with Amidala and Shmi, one of those Skywalker loved the most in the galaxy. Skywalker had great respect for his master and considered him an equal in wisdom only to Master Yoda. However, his arrogant and prideful attitude clashed with his master's more patient and peaceful ways. They would often disagree and engage in verbal jousts about the Jedi Order and the politics of Coruscant. However, their bond was strong enough that Skywalker was willing to disobey the Council's orders and go to Geonosis to rescue him when he was Count Dooku's prisoner.[11]

After the Battle of Geonosis, their relationship changed again from a father-son one to one between two brothers. The antagonism that they would show, sometimes rather violently, turned into playful bickering. During the Clone Wars, Skywalker saved Kenobi's life at least ten times and the latter apparently did the same for him on some occasions. However, their relationship turned darker due to Skywalker's opposition to the Council's decisions and their refusal to trust the Chancellor. Kenobi also secretly suspected of Skywalker and Amidala's relationship.[10]

When Skywalker fell to the dark side and became Darth Vader, Kenobi was heartbroken and even begged Master Yoda to send him to kill Darth Sidious in his stead as he couldn't kill his brother. When it appeared that Padmé had led Kenobi to him, he tried to kill them both. During their duel, Kenobi kept trying to find a trace of his old apprentice in the monster he had become but it was in vain and he finally accepted that Skywalker was gone. However, while the latter expressed eternal hatred towards his old master, Kenobi wasn't able to finish Skywalker off and left him to be consumed by the flames of Mustafar.[10]

After this duel, Vader became bent on revenge and spent months trying to locate Kenobi. He was turned away from this goal by his new Master. Along with Yoda and Bail Organa, Kenobi protected Vader's children by hiding them from their father. When Kenobi and Skywalker met again on the Death Star, Kenobi sacrificed himself to allow Luke to escape. His spirit kept leading him so that he could defeat Vader and Sidious. When Skywalker fulfilled the prophecy and destroyed Sidious, dying himself in the process, Kenobi, Yoda and Qui-Gon Jinn, who had learned how to become one with the Force, led his spirit to join the Force, completing his redemption.

Mace Windu

Mace Windu was a firm believer in the Jedi Code and thus believed Anakin was far too old to begin training when he was brought before the council. Like Yoda, he saw danger in Anakin's future. However, given Qui-Gon's last wish and the skills Anakin displayed during the Battle of Naboo, he reluctantly agreed to allow Anakin to be trained by Obi-Wan. Throughout Anakin's years as a Jedi, Mace was impressed with Anakin's skills, but Mace was skeptical of whether Anakin was truly the chosen one from the prophecy. Mace tried to be open minded, but Anakin's emotional immaturity and recklessness was hard to ignore. Ultimately his caution of Anakin proved sound when he was the first to be slain upon Anakin's turn to the dark side.

Ahsoka Tano

Skywalker initially had a shaky relationship with his Padawan Ahsoka Tano. Although he expressed annoyance when Tano referred to him as "Skyguy" after he told Rex of his intentions to not train her, and in retaliation calling her "Snips" and "youngling", he did open himself up after the Christophisis incident,[70] going as far to spare Dooku and torture Poggle with the sole intention of saving her by doing so. Skywalker would also not give up on saving Tano after she got caught in an explosion of a droid foundry that she destroyed with a tank, having no other method. Greatly relieved that Tano was still alive, he told her that he hadn't doubted her, after she told him that she knew he would save her. Skywalker’s desire to keep his Padawan safe went beyond the battlefield into his teachings to her. Though she was skilled in the classic Shien, Skywalker began teaching her Ataru and Djem So, two aggressive forms he was greatly skilled in, being mastered in the latter.

Wanting Tano to be prepared for any opponent, he also trained her to protect herself against enemies wielding a double-bladed lightsaber, such as Asajj Ventress, whom she’d faced before. There is also much evidence to support that Skywalker’s attachment of Tano was as great as his attachment to his mother and his wife. Before his mission to Lanteeb, during battle against General Grievous’ fleet, immersing himself in the Force, “He was Shmi and Padmé and Ahsoka.” In the aftermath of that battle, when Kenobi told him it was Tano who had saved the day, Skywalker “felt a rush of pride” and boasted that she was his apprentice. That pride was evident in his trust in her to command in his stead, such as during the Battle of Ryloth. Though Skywalker was usually reckless and did not think about the consequences of his actions, Tano’s presence seemed to soften these tendencies. The Battle of Ryloth seemed to be a milestone for Master and Padawan, for he took her words to heart when she told him that his actions often put others at risk, which resulted in him evacuating the cruiser, leaving only him with an escape pod so the cruiser would crash into the battleship.

Nearing the end of the war, Skywalker also held a great degree of trust in her, being one of the few people to strongly believe that Tano had actually been framed. However, he also realized that he could not help her directly as it would have made her seem even more guilty than she was already suspected to be by everyone else. He also managed to track down the actual guilty party, Barriss Offee, and expose her after defeating her in a lightsaber duel, although his efforts were for naught as Tano resigned from the Jedi Order.

Padmé Amidala

Skywalker, even as Darth Vader, continued to love Amidala for many years after her death.

Skywalker had met the disguised Queen Amidala in his home of Mos Espa, where she passed off as a commoner named Padme Naberrie. When he first met her, he initially asked her if she was an Angel. However, he also ended up distraught when discovering that she was actually the Queen, which he admitted to Obi-Wan while participating in Qui-Gon Jinn's funeral. After parting ways after the Battle of Theed, he continually thought of her, and his fascination grew for his bold and beautiful friend, who was four years his senior. They met again ten years later, and his fascination blossomed into love. After a hair-raising series of adventures together, she began to return his affection, and the two married as the Clone Wars begun. Although they saw each other rarely and had to work hard to keep their marriage a secret, Skywalker was deeply in love and vowed to protect Amidala from the fate he could not save his mother from. In the end, his fear for Amidala, whom he believed would die in childbirth, ultimately turned him to the dark side, and after he incapacitated her on Mustafar, she lost the will to live but still believed that he could be redeemed, which her memory in Luke helped do.

With Amidala, Skywalker had twin children, although he did not know of their existence until at least 19 years after they were born. Both were born at the secret base of Polis Massa, and their mother, Amidala, died shortly after their birth. Luke, the eldest of the two, was raised on the harsh desert planet of Tatooine (which, coincidentally, was also the home of Anakin Skywalker) by his father's stepbrother, Owen Lars, and his wife Beru. He was to follow in his father's footsteps and become a respected Jedi. Leia was raised by the Royal Family of Alderaan in its capital, Aldera. She was given the name Leia Organa, which later changed to Leia Organa Solo when she married. She would follow a similar path to her mother's, becoming a respected young Senator serving the galaxy, but also a leading member of the Rebel Alliance, which her mother helped to create. The two children were hidden from the Empire, the Emperor, their father and each other, not knowing of each other's existence until they were in their early twenties, and finding out they were related much later. In the end, both of them played a key role in defeating the Sith and the Empire, but it was Luke who ultimately defeated Darth Vader and redeemed Anakin Skywalker.[4]

Luke Skywalker

Vader did in fact love his son and after learning of Luke Skywalker's existence, Vader immediately sought him. He originally wished for Skywalker to give into the dark side and join him so they could defeat the Emperor and rule the galaxy together as father and son. When Vader first revealed to Skywalker that he was his father, Skywalker refused to believe him and fled from him. Although Skywalker would eventually come to accept that Vader was his father and tried to redeem him rather than destroy him. When Skywalker was being tortured by Palpatine, in an act of love Vader killed Palpatine to save his son. Through his love for Luke, Vader was redeemed as Anakin Skywalker.[4]

Leia Organa Solo

Before Vader was aware of the fact that Leia Organa was his daughter, he treated her as an enemy to the Empire and severely tortured her aboard the Death Star.[12] Organa saw Vader as an evil person and monster that was willing to destroy the weak. Vader later learned of his relationship with Organa when he probed Skywalker's mind by using the Force.[4] After his death, Vader, now as a redeemed Anakin Skywalker, confronted Organa as a Force ghost and tried to seek forgiveness, but was turned away. He promised Organa that he would be there for her when she needed him. Organa eventually forgave her father after she read her grandmother's diary and learned that Vader was not the monster she thought he was. Organa even named her second son Anakin in honor of her father.

Palpatine

While undergoing his training as a Padawan, Anakin Skywalker looked up to Palpatine as a father figure, due to his feeling isolated by the Jedi Order. When Skywalker learned that Palpatine was in fact the Sith Lord, Darth Sidious, he deeply considered killing Sidious to maintain his duty to the Jedi Order, but Sidious' promises to save Padmé Amidala, as well as Sidious' insinuation that killing him would be a further fall to the dark side of the Force, caused him to relent, although he nonetheless reported Palpatine and Sidious' connection to Mace Windu. Ultimately, he ended up saving Sidious, which he later regretted when Sidious killed Windu in return. Afterwards, Skywalker, or rather, Vader, considered betraying Sidious after wiping out the Jedi Order,[10] largely because he realized Sidious didn't actually have the power to save Padmé, although his injuries at Mustafar forced him to reconsider. After Padmé's death and his duel on Mustafar, Vader's relationship with the Emperor became an unusual and complicated one. Vader resented Sidious for essentially creating him and mentioned on numerous occasions that he intended to kill the Dark Lord and take his place. On the other hand however, Vader passed up numerous opportunities over the years to either kill Sidious or allow him to die. Lumiya, one of Vader's apprentices, would later describe Sidious as Vader's "only link to the world of the living" after Padmé's death.[260] This essentially implied that, while part of Vader hated his Master, he was also the closest thing Vader had to a friend during his tenure as a Sith Lord.

After the Clone Wars, Vader served as the executor of Sidious' will, exterminating much of the Jedi Order and suppressing various anti-Imperial rebellions. Ultimately, the redeemed Anakin Skywalker would end up killing Sidious when the latter was attempting to kill the former's son Luke. This action would result in Anakin bringing balance to the Force.[4]

Powers and abilities

Lightsaber training

Skywalker in a lightsaber stance, beside his master

Jedi Knight

"If you had spent as much time practicing your saber techniques as you do your wit, you would rival Master Yoda as a swordsman.""I thought I already did.""Only in your mind, my very young apprentice."

Anakin Skywalker was trained by the Order's most promising Jedi Knight, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Through him, Skywalker would inherit a rich tradition of lightsaber training. Skywalker's style featured elements of many masters, making him outstandingly talented, even at a very young age.[261]

Both Form V variants became the favored fighting styles of Anakin Skywalker, as their aggressive and strength-oriented fighting methods fit well with his arrogant, confrontational personality type. Due to his natural talent for lightsaber combat, he advanced quickly, an achievement which fed his ego, and he came to consider himself a match for Yoda. His specialty in the Shien form stood him in good stead during heated engagements with blaster-wielding foes, such as the Battle of Geonosis, and he became a formidable lightsaber duelist.[11][261] Skywalker also studied Form VI to develop his skills with dual-blades, though he commented that he was working on this mostly as an exercise in control, and was doubtful that he would ever need to apply it.[246] Skywalker's assumption was proven wrong when he wielded dual lightsabers against Dooku during the First Battle of Geonosis[11] and several other times during the Clone Wars.

However, Skywalker eventually realized how much he still had to learn when he confronted Count Dooku. Initially utilizing a dual-bladed variant of Ataru against the Count, Skywalker was forced to revert to his standard Form V practices when Dooku destroyed the extra blade.[11] His skill was enough for Anakin to stand toe-to-toe with Dooku even longer than his Master did, actually impressing the masterful Count with his skills, but he was forced to draw heavily on his Force-abilities to match Dooku's speed and precision, tiring quickly. Dooku's far more energy efficient Makashi style won the day, and Skywalker lost his arm when he opened himself up.[48]

Anakin Skywalker utilizing Djem So against Dooku.

As the Clone Wars progressed, Skywalker spent the following years of the conflict developing his skills in its many pitched battles. He began studying the Djem So variant of Form V and used brute strength to overwhelm his opponents, and was also known to attack his opponents by lunging at them.[262] Evidence of his prowess included confrontations with the Dooku-trained Asajj Ventress or Grievous' IG-100 MagnaGuards, as well as numerous sparring matches with Obi-Wan Kenobi.[263] Relying on both strength and agility, Skywalker proved able to adequately fend off or evade enemy attacks while immediately offering counters.[264] By the time of the Battle of Teth, Skywalker was able to effectively hold his own against Dooku, as shown by their confrontation on Tatooine.[70] He occasionally applied Ataru-styled acrobatics during combat, but he preferred to rely on pure Djem So during lightsaber duels. The aggressive Form V encouraged practitioners to actively attempt to dominate their foes, and as the war progressed, Skywalker drew on his anger and rage with mounting frequency, sliding ever closer to the dark side of the Force.[263] When confronting Dooku for the last time, Skywalker relied heavily on these emotions to fuel his offense, demonstrating both overwhelming strength and bewildering speed as he bashed through Dooku's precision defense and sliced off both of the Count's hands before brutally executing him.[10] Before his death, Dooku acknowledged Skywalker as the finest Djem So stylist that he had ever seen.[263]

It also proved to Sidious that Skywalker was ready to become his apprentice.[263]

Sith Lord

"…one can do some interesting things with a saber, you know. I'll do my best to show them all to you if you'll cooperate by not passing out."

When Anakin Skywalker at long last embraced the dark side and was rechristened Darth Vader, he maintained his Form V mastery, but utilized it in an even more brutal fashion, becoming a frightening opponent. However, his aggression became his fatal flaw, as he would become so controlled by it that it would give way to his rage. Though young, strong, athletic, and a master swordsman gifted with more raw Force power than any other Force adept, he lacked the experience, calm, and focus that his former master possessed. Though Vader could, and would call on the dark side to overpower his opponents, his mounting emotions distracted him, clouding his judgment and preventing him from executing his form as well as Kenobi executed his. Whereas Vader's strength lay in his offensive barrage, Kenobi's strength resided in his staunch defense.[263]

Kenobi was regarded as the greatest master of the passive style Soresu in the Jedi Order, and his absolute dedication to it would prove vital to his victory. Vader, frustrated by his inability to break through this defense, began making mistakes and leaving openings that he otherwise would have avoided had he remained focused and patient. Kenobi, similar to his final duel with General Grievous, would utilize his "wait them out" philosophy, relying entirely on the defensive and energy-conservative moves until the opponent became frustrated or fatigued, causing them to leave sloppy openings in their offense that Kenobi could then exploit. Vader's frustration and arrogance eventually caused him to make a tactically fatal decision, and resulted in his defeat and severe mutilation.[263]

Initially after gaining the suit, Vader was forced to rely on his newly enhanced strength and reach, utilizing a clumsy method that was comprised of little more than stiffly executed vertical strikes that served to wear down his opponent. This initial method was seen to elements of Soresu and Ataru bladework in conjunction with his clumsy Djem So strikes, as witnessed by Jedi Master Roan Shryne when Vader engaged Bol Chatak.[168]

However, Vader was able to overcome this limitation fairly quickly, developing a refined version of Djem So that continued to include Ataru and Soresu elements, but also added Makashi[16] and Juyo[265] to the mix. In fact, by the time of his first visit to Kashyyyk, Vader had incorporated aspects of all combat forms into his fighting style - even the highest and most dangerous ones. Rather than attempting to fight through the bulky and heavy armor, Vader fought with it, utilizing the armor's weight and his powerful prosthetics to provide his blows with incredible force, while relying on the main articulation points at the elbows and wrists for precision.[168] With this new form, Vader regained some of his old agility, and his bladework became brutally effective. He never utilized anything less than a killing blow, and his swordplay demonstrated extraordinary precision, unpredictability, and speed, notwithstanding the two-handed grip he typically favored. Even his most simplistic moves contained enough strength to nearly disarm his opponents.[16][168] The additional weight and bulk of Vader's cybernetics and armor made engaging in Ataru-esque acrobatics considerably more difficult than it had been, and he typically refrained from making use of such maneuvers. He was however, still fully capable of performing such acrobatics when pressed.[168]

Vader proved able to apply this personalized variant in many ways, sometimes opting to fight one-handed, relying on precision and economy of movement, but thanks to the added strength his prosthetics afforded him, he maintained a great deal of power. He demonstrated this method against the likes of Olee Starstone and Luke Skywalker.[168][248] When forced onto the defensive, Vader would fight with a two-handed grip, elbows pressed tightly to his sides with the blade held straight out in front of him, manipulating it deftly with his wrists only. This method proved effective for protecting his vulnerable chest mounted control panel, but, at least in his early applications of it, it was not as effective at protecting his limbs. Vader applied this defensive style against Roan Shryne during the subjugation of Kashyyyk and Obi-Wan Kenobi during their final duel on board the first Death Star.[12][168]

While he utilized his customized style to great effect, even against multiple opponents, Vader occasionally eschewed precision and refinement for strength oriented offensive barrages, as demonstrated during his duel against Luke Skywalker on Bespin and against Shryne on Kashyyyk[248][168] Vader apparently learned his lesson from his duel with Kenobi, learning how to control his emotions when in combat and finding a way to call upon calculated bursts of the dark side while not being blinded by emotions running amok, fighting with determination and relentlessness rather than rage.[17] Vader also trained frequently with combat droids to keep his skills sharp, using ASP-19s by 3.5 ABY. Based on the ASP-series droid, the ASP-19s were lightsaber combat droids programmed with the knowledge of a hundred swordmasters and a dozen fighting styles, faster and stronger than an ordinary man. Vader defeated them time and again, and thus ordered new, improved batches of them. As his finesse and skill improved, Vader found that they became too easy to defeat, so much so that he took to battling them in two-on-one matches.[251] Despite his reduced mobility, Vader had little difficulty defending himself from duelists utilizing fast-paced styles like Ataru, as he demonstrated against both Starkiller and Jedi Master An'ya Kuro.[17][211]

Vader utilizing his personalized style against Luke Skywalker

However, despite his skill, Vader's method was not perfect. Particularly during situations where he believed himself to be facing an inferior opponent, Vader could be taken off-guard or frustrated, causing lapses in his usually staunch defense. For example, during his duel with Galen Marek on the first Death Star, Vader began the duel with an all-out offense, believing he would quickly overwhelm his opponent. Marek however, initially took a defensive stance against Vader, blocking or dancing around Vader's attacks while expending as little energy as possible. Additionally, Marek's taunts concerning Vader's inability to free himself from Sidious' control interfered with his focus. Ultimately, Vader expended most of his energy in an unsuccessful attempt to batter Marek into submission and was brought down when Marek suddenly counter-attacked with Force lightning, breaking Vader's momentum and causing the duel to shift decisively in Marek's favor.[16] However, Vader quickly learned from his mistake, as he demonstrated during his duel with Starkiller on Kamino a few months later. During this battle, he utilized a more defensive set of tactics against Starkiller and maintained a more controlled, less prideful mindset. As a result, Starkiller, who was even more powerful than his template, ultimately came to the conclusion that the best he could possibly hope for in a duel against Vader was a stalemate. As such, Starkiller was forced to resort to trickery to defeat Vader, banking on the hope that his former Master's desire to keep him alive would provide him with an opening if he offered to surrender.[17]

Another duelist who proved able to stand against Vader was his own son, Luke Skywalker. In their initial engagements, Vader proved superior, though it still took some effort to defeat Skywalker, who displayed a great deal of skill despite his minimal level of training. However, onboard the second Death Star, Luke managed to defeat Vader. Mirroring Darth Vader's own Form V technique, Skywalker responded with his own furious demonstration of the style's raw power, and his marked increase in skill enabled him to meet Vader strength-to-strength. Luke ultimately managed to best Vader by drawing on the power of the dark side, boosting his physical prowess with the use of his rage. This sudden display of aggression and power toward the end of their bout caught Vader off guard, allowing Luke to drive back and overwhelm the experienced Sith Lord.[261]

Force powers

Jedi Knight

The fact that Skywalker was born with the highest known midi-chlorian count in galactic history and was considered to be the Chosen One leads to various conclusions about his Force potential and power. Although extremely young and having less than perfect training (due to his late age joining the Order), Skywalker was one of the most powerful living Jedi. However, Anakin's focus was given more towards improving his lightsaber skills than his Force abilities. As such, while Anakin's raw power was immense, his knowledge of the Force was limited to fairly straightforward techniques.

Skywalker's unprecedented midi-chlorian count made him one of the most powerful members of the Jedi Order; however, it also made Skywalker arrogant.[11] When he came to the Jedi Temple at the age of nine, he began to develop at a much faster and accelerated pace than his fellow Padawans, further feeding his pride and self-importance.

Skywalker possessed the potential to become the most powerful Jedi in the history of the galaxy.

Skywalker was skilled in the use of telekinesis able to lift heavy objects with minimal effort. During his duel with Asajj Ventress on Yavin 4, he easily deflected a large pillar back at Ventress when she hurled it at him and immediately afterwards he used the Force to block her Force Push without even slowing down. He was also skilled at Force Jump, and was able to leap massive distances. Skywalker was also capable of a powerful Force Push;[56] however, it should be noted that despite having a stronger connection to the Force than Obi-Wan Kenobi, his Force Push was unable to overcome Kenobi's during their duel on Mustafar.[10] He was also skilled at Jedi Mind Tricks.[266] However, Skywalker also developed a habit of using the Force Choke power, a sign of who and what he would later become. Skywalker was also proficient in the use of Force speed, able to use it to increase the efficiency of his lightsaber skills.[91] Anakin also had an affinity for the use of Force visions, such as when he predicted the deaths of his mother and wife.[10][11] He also possessed a keen Force sense, such as when he sensed the assassination attempt on his future wife. During the Zillo Beast incident, Anakin was able to conjure a Force barrier with the assistance of Yoda and Aayla Secura. During the Battle of Mon Calamari, Anakin was able to use the Force to rip apart the support bindings of the planetary scanner, toppling the building over.

During the Battle of Geonosis, Skywalker displayed some skill in Animal friendship, allowing him to ride the reek that was present in the arena.[11]

Sith Lord

"…you are so far less now than what you were, you are more than half machine, you are like a painter gone blind, a composer gone deaf, you remember where the power was but the power you can touch is only a memory…"

Because his body had been severely burned on Mustafar, Darth Vader was thought to have lost much of his Force potential, although he nonetheless retained an incredibly high midi-chlorian count.[162] As Darth Vader, Skywalker was believed to have had roughly eight-tenths of the strength of the Emperor. Nevertheless Vader wielded tremendous power and skill, enough to use the Force to overpower almost any opponent he could not defeat with his lightsaber. Had none of the events on Mustafar taken place, Darth Vader would have been far more powerful than the Emperor. As it was, the Jedi Knight Jax Pavan acknowledged that he had never encountered a Force-user as powerful as Vader, and that it would be foolish for the Emperor not to fear him.[267]

The Emperor, having gone out of his way to keep Vader alive, took an alternative viewpoint. Though it was true to say that he had not bargained for an apprentice that was "more machine than man", Palpatine was of the opinion that most of the limitations on Vader's potential power were not physical but psychological, as was often the case with emotionally disturbed Force-sensitives like Darth Bane or Rahm Kota. He believed that, were Vader to fully confront his choices and completely shake himself out of his despair, he would have been able to reawaken the incredible power of the Chosen One within him. Palpatine's theory was lent further credence by comments made by Darth Plagueis that cyberization, even in extreme cases, did not ultimately limit one's ability to use the Force.[25] Once Vader got used to his armor and re-tooled his fighting style, he regained some of his confidence and became one of the most powerful Sith Lords in galactic history. However, he would always be haunted to varying degrees by the choices he had made, even to the point of what amounted to temporary insanity during his mission to Atoa.[181] Thus, while Vader made progress in that regard, he was never fully able to accept who and what he had become, and therefore never fulfilled his potential. Sidious would ultimately come to realize that Vader would never be the apprentice he longed for. He would try to replace him on at least two occasions with more powerful Force-sensitives, Galen Marek and Luke Skywalker. The Prophets of the Dark Side also saw Vader as too much of a Jedi to truly embrace the dark side.[214]

Darth Vader made extensive use of both the Force Choke and Force Crush abilities, as he demonstrated numerous times throughout his life. On a similar note, he was also capable of using the Force to telekinetically destroy a target's internal organs.[251] The Dark Lord also possessed skill in the use of Tutaminis, such as when he absorbed several blaster bolts from Han Solo's blaster on Bespin.[268] He was also capable of using Force deflection to redirect blaster bolts, sometimes even at whomever fired them.[269] He also had proficiency in the use of Kinetite, which he used on Mimban in the presence of the Kaiburr crystal with the intent of killing Luke Skywalker.[223][246] Vader also used a power similar to Force Destruction when facing Galen Marek on the first Death Star. In this instance, he surrounded himself several times with a red energy field which he would subsequently unleash at Marek. On a similar note, the aforementioned energy field also functioned as a barrier that Marek could not penetrate with either the Force or his lightsaber. Thus it would appear that Vader retained his skill at creating Force barriers.[270] In addition, he utilized either a semi-visible Force barrier or a protection bubble several times during the Gentis coup to fend off the attacks of Gentis's traitorous soldiers; barriers which were evidently capable of reflecting enemy fire rather than simply dissipating it.[182] Vader also knew how to utilize the Force cloak technique, having both applied it as Anakin and having taught it to the Dark Apprentice.[271][17]

The Dark Lord could also use telepathy, such as when he communicated with his son shortly after their duel on Bespin.[248] Vader demonstrated the ability to drain knowledge from his victims opponents, such as when he discovered that Luke had a twin sister.[4] Vader was also adept at saber throw, which he would often utilize in combat to make up for his relative lack of mobility.[270]

After Vader's injuries, his natural strength was vastly augmented by the addition of his cybernetic enhancements. In addition, Vader retained the ability to increase his physical abilities by using the Force. In fact, despite the cumbersome weight of his armor and prosthetics, Vader was still capable of moving faster than the human eye could perceive by using precision bursts of the Force speed technique.[17] He showcased on multiple occasions the ability to both lift and hold a grown man off the ground at arm's length with no apparent effort. As he demonstrated on Captain Raymus Antilles[12] and Shadday Potkin among others, he also had the ability to crush a human throat bare-handed. Vader also demonstrated remarkable physical durability and resistance to pain throughout his time as a Sith. On at least two occasions, he was stabbed straight through the chest with both a lightsaber and a vibroblade, and hardly reacted in either case.[214][272] Additionally, his prosthetics and armor allowed him to survive deadly environmental hazards such as explosions, toxins, diseases, and even the vacuum of space. It also provided Vader with a constant supply of pain suppressing drugs to help him function with his wounds. However, the suit was only moderately insulated, and thus its life-support systems were relatively vulnerable to electrical discharges.

While Vader was usually dependent on the respirator systems of the suit to breath, he was capable of using the dark side to temporarily heal his lung damage during his meditations. However, the relief he experienced during these sessions was very transient, lasting only minutes at best. He speculated that the momentary happiness he experienced as a result of healing himself disrupted his concentration, and robbed him of the hate that was necessary to maintain the dark side-based healing power.[251] During his mission to Atoa however, his deranged state of mind and immense rage apparently allowed him to use this healing technique to a far greater degree. In this instance, he was seen to operate in standard atmospheric conditions for a considerable length of time without his helmet, even while physically exerting himself.[181]

Besides the life support it provided his ravaged body, Vader's Sith armor also offered limited protection against the blades of lightsabers. In a climactic duel with his son in the depths of Cloud City, a quick blow from Luke's lightsaber appeared to cut the armor only shallowly, although this was enough to draw a surprised cry from the Dark Lord. However, most of the armor was purposely made out of non-lightsaber resistant material, as Vader worried that he might grow sloppy if he relied too much on his armor to protect him in duels.[248]

It should be noted that Darth Vader, despite being a powerful Sith Lord, was rarely seen generating Force lightning. This was due to the extensive presence of cybernetic augmentations in his body as well as the presence of the electronic life-support system in his suit. Any attempt by Vader to generate Force lightning carried the great risk of causing these systems to short-circuit, possibly to deadly effect. There are however, a few circumstances where he has been recorded using it, most notably when he was in close proximity to the Force-enhancing Kaiburr crystal. In this case, he was seen to generate "Force energized lightning" in the form of Kinetite, which he used against his son.[246] The crystal however, was also seen to erode Vader's self control to the point that he was actively trying to kill Luke during their duel, despite the fact that he very much wanted only to capture him. Thus, it is not known whether the crystal shielded Vader from the potentially fatal effects of generating Force lightning, or eroded his self control to the point that he simply disregarded the risks.[223] On one occasion, he also demonstrated the ability to re-direct already existing electricity. During his battle with Starkiller on Kamino, he was able to gather residual electricity from the lightning rods surrounding the battleground and blast it at his opponent.[210] Vader also demonstrated the ability to both block and redirect Force lightning with the Force, as he demonstrated during his duel with Galen Marek on board the first Death Star. He could also use his lightsaber to ground extremely high-intensity blasts of Force lightning with little effort.[210]

In combat, Vader was extremely adept at utilizing telekinetic attacks, and often made liberal use of his telekinetic abilities during duels. He was capable of performing incredibly powerful Force Pushes and Grips, and was capable of breaking through the telekinetic defenses of Force-sensitives of Galen Marek and the cloned Starkiller's caliber. He was also very proficient in the application of Force Repulse and Force Wave, and was able to generate enough power with both attacks to easily kill Force-insensitive assailants. In particular, he was capable of using Force Waves to kill dozens of opponents simultaneously.[185] One of Vader's favorite tactics during duels was his use of Force Throw to pull apart objects in his environment and fling them at his opponents. This served as both an effective practical attack and a way of demoralizing his opponents.[248] Darth Vader first utilized this technique during his duel on Mustafar with Obi-Wan Kenobi, slicing shards of metal from the walls and shooting them at his opponent. However, Kenobi's mastery of Soresu allowed him to deflect the shards.[10] After gaining his armor, Darth Vader used this tactic to bring down Roan Shryne on Kashyyyk, ripping apart the wooden platforms in their battleground and flinging waves of debris at the Jedi from all sides.[168] His most arguably famous usage of this ability was against Luke Skywalker during their duel on Bespin, when he used it to batter Skywalker with everything and anything that happened to be in the room they were in.[248] His effectiveness with this technique was further bolstered by the fact that he was capable of telekinetically griping and hurling objects without the need to utilize the "throwing" motion that nearly all Force sensitives were seen to use. This was most evident during his fight with Luke on Bespin, where he was able to surprise his son by telekinetically throwing a metal box at his head while maintaining a two-handed bladelock.[248] Additionally, when applying this technique against Roan Shryne, Vader simply stood in one place with his arms folded across his chest.[168]

Other abilities

Anakin Skywalker was a man of many talents. He was well known for his exceptional piloting skills, skills that earned him a name as a Jedi ace and a Tan; having such a piloting reputation that some would go so far as to argue he was the best star pilot in the galaxy. During Skywalker's tenure as a slave, he made a name for himself by being a podracer. He was one of the few Humans and the youngest one with the reflexes to actually pilot a podracer, thanks to his Force sensitivity. Skywalker even won the Boonta Eve Classic race at the age of nine, an act that won him his freedom. Young Skywalker also attracted the attention of many in the Republic: during the Battle of Naboo, he piloted a Naboo starfighter and destroyed a Droid Control Ship. His efforts no doubt single-handedly helped win the battle, but it was only a foreshadowing of his skills to come.[9] During the Clone Wars, Skywalker was one of the Republic's best and most famous star pilots. He perfected an assortment of strategies; most notable was his skill at opening fire just before passing through enemy formations, leaving little time for evasion. He also displayed relentless tenacity in chasing down his targets as well as shaking off target locks. The latter ability would later be displayed by his son, Luke Skywalker. His abilities garnered the attention of both Chancellor Palpatine and his peers. At the Battle of Coruscant, Skywalker was able to safely land the huge cruiser Invisible Hand, despite the fact that he was only flying half a ship, and it was not even built to be able to land, as well as implying the possibility that he might not know how to fly the ship.[10]

Skywalker was also known to be an exceptional mechanic. He could fix anything from a damaged droidmotivator to a malfunctioning repulsorlift. The young Skywalker quickly understood how things worked, and his strong knowledge of mechanical systems coupled with his closeness to the Force allowed him to pilot most vehicles and starfighters. He used his droid hydrospanner wrench to reassemble his Otoga 222 and built welding goggles with many settings from scratch to use for precise work and to diagnose mechanical problems. At the age of nine he created, even with limited resources, the protocol droid C-3PO to aid his mother.

For the Boonta Eve Classic race, Skywalker entered his custom-built podracer made from parts found in Watto's junk shop. As testament to Anakin Skywalker's engineering brilliance, his Podracer featured a number of amazing innovations built into its compact frame. Skywalker salvaged a pair of Radon-Ulzer 620C racing engines that Watto deemed too burned out to be of any use. Less crafty pilots often invested in larger engines in the hopes of getting greater performance. The trouble with that route is that the larger the engine, the heavier the racer. Skywalker side-stepped that dilemma by developing a new fuel atomizer and distribution system that sent more fuel into the Radon-Ulzer's combustion chambers, radically increasing their thrust and his racer's top speed to almost 950 kilometers per hour. Skywalker capped each Radon-Ulzer with a trio of bright yellow air scoops that provided additional control when braking and cornering. When meeting up with his former slave owner, Skywalker proved his identity to the Toydarian by fixing a machine Watto was tinkering with.

During the Clone Wars, Skywalker extensively modified a Delta-7 Aethersprite starfighter into a fully customized starship known as Azure Angel; modifications that would pave the way for the Eta-2 Actis interceptor. Skywalker also often tinkered with his prosthetic arm as he did his starfighter. The TIE Advanced x1 starfighter was designed to Vader's specifications, having larger angular wings, a considerably longer rear engine, and thicker support struts than the standard TIE. In addition, Skywalker was fluent in understanding the electronic language of Binary, the information-dense, low redundancy electronic language of most pit crew and simple droids, thus, allowing him to interface with them.

Darth Vader was a brilliant strategist and was still, despite his lessened Force potential, one of the greatest pilots in the galaxy. His armor did not dull the precognition ability he possessed since childhood and he was able to predict the movements of his targets during dogfights with pinpoint precision. He still possessed his former persona's amazing engineering skills, having personally overseen the design of both his TIE Advanced x1 fighter and the second Death Star's construction. In addition, he also possessed his former persona's exceptional piloting skills—During a TIE training exercise, Vader, after allowing himself into the training exercise, managed to shoot down everyone despite his targeting and navigation computers being disabled prior to launch; saving ColonelVindoo Barvel, widely considered to be the best pilot in the galaxy, for last. He then proceeded to toy with Barvel; did various maneuvers that TIEs would not have been capable of doing; matched his every move; before shooting him down despite Barvel's best efforts in escaping. A TIE pilot involved in the exercise, Villian Dance, would later recall his abilities during this event and considered suicide by overloading his TIE's engines in the event that he got on Vader's bad side and was pursued by him.